Will Smith has spent much of his career reinventing himself, particularly in the years following the Oscar slap controversy and the ongoing public scrutiny surrounding his personal life. But according to Tyrese Gibson, one of the most impactful lessons he ever received from the Academy Award-winning actor had nothing to do with acting or Hollywood strategy. Instead, it was deeply personal.

During his recent appearance on the NXT Chapter Podcast, the Transformers star reflected on advice he once received from Will Smith that fundamentally changed how he viewed both his life and his career. Gibson explained that the Fresh Prince performer framed success and stagnation as direct reflections of the people you keep closest to you. As the R&B singer-turned-actor recalled, Smith put it this way:

That's pretty solid advice, and as NXT Chapter host T.D. Jakes pointed out, it's probably worth “writing down.” It’s advice that’s clearly stuck with Gibson, as he didn’t present it as a throwaway motivational quote, but as a hard truth that forced him to take inventory of his surroundings.

For Smith, this philosophy aligns with how he’s navigated decades in Hollywood. He went from a hip-hop artist to a sitcom star, and finally to an award-winning dramatic actor. He’s famously been intentional about mentorship, collaboration and protecting his mindset.

The Independence Day star's advice hits a little differently when you look at where Gibson is in his personal life. Just a couple of months ago, he was back in the headlines after police in Atlanta issued an arrest warrant tied to the death of a neighbor’s dog, with the incident involving Gibson’s four cane corsos. The action-movie regular has said he wasn’t home when it happened and has denied any wrongdoing, but the situation still put him under an unwanted spotlight yet again.

Over the years, Tyrese Gibson has been open about his emotional outbursts, legal issues, and personal life, which have often played out in public. That includes past child support disputes that led to an arrest in 2024. More recently, Gibson has also spoken about his mental health, describing it as “fragile,” and pointing to the strain of his divorce and ongoing financial stress as significant factors in said fragility.

When you view all of that through the lens of Will Smith’s advice, it’s not just about bad headlines piling up, but the environment around them. If the people closest to you aren’t helping you stay grounded, problems can arise, and for Hollywood A-listers, those problems tend to surface in very public ways. The “Sweet Lady” performer has reinvented his career more than once, so bouncing back isn’t new territory for him. But staying on solid footing in Hollywood often means cutting down on distractions as much as chasing the next big role.

With the 2026 movie slate starting to come into focus, there’s reason to hope Tyrese Gibson can settle into a steadier rhythm and keep the right people around him. He’s currently lined up to return to the big screen with Oscar Shaw in 2026, along with the still-in-production sequel to Fast X, giving the longtime franchise mainstay a clear path back into familiar territory.

Tyrese Gibson – the actor known for starring in Fast & Furious, Transformers and other notable films – currently finds himself embroiled in a legal situation. Police in Atlanta, Georgia have issued a warrant for Gibson’s arrest in connection to the death of one of his neighbor’s dogs. The authorities have since spoken out about the situation, saying that Gibson has yet to turn himself in. At the same time, the actor’s lawyer has also shared comments on how he’s reportedly navigating the situation.

What Have The Police Said About Tyrese Gibson’s Arrest Warrant?

On September 18, one of Tyrese Gibson’s neighbors – who reportedly lives half a mile from him – released their dog into their own yard, according to the Associated Press. The neighbor apparently returned moments later to find that their small spaniel had been brutally mauled, with Gibson’s four cane corsos reportedly being responsible for the attack. Per reports, the quartet of hounds was later seen at the home of another neighbor, who remained in their house until animal control came to contain the situation.

As for the other neighbor’s spaniel, the dog was taken to a veterinary hospital but could not be saved. The arrest warrant for Gibson was later issued on the grounds of animal cruelty, and it reportedly marked the latest chapter in an “ongoing issue.” Authorities state that, for months, they received calls about the Baby Boy alum’s dogs. Captain Nicole Dwyer of the Fulton County Police released a statement, which was shared with the AP, and she explained her team’s main “priority” amid this investigation:

After the arrest warrant (which was preceded by multiple warnings) was issued for Tyrese Gibson, and a search warrant was also granted. When authorities arrived, they found that neither Gibson nor his dogs were present at his home. Captain Dwyer did state that she’d spoken to Gibson’s lawyer, Gabe Banks, and informed him that his client would have to turn himself in.

Tyrese Gibson Speaks Out About The Dog Situation

Gabe Banks emailed the AP, saying that Gibson is “cooperating fully with authorities to address and resolve this matter responsibly.” Banks also said his client also wasn’t home when the attack transpired and that he “immediately made the difficult decision to rehome his dogs to a safe and loving environment.”

On Wednesday, though, Gibson himself took to Instagram to share his own sentiments including video clips of his dogs. Gibson said that over the last 15 days, he’d been in Los Angeles, where he was mourning the death of his father. In terms of the dogs, Gibson defended his former pets while also extending his well wishes to his neighbors who’d been impacted by what happened:

Tyrese Gibson – who has been candid about having public outbursts and ranting – has dealt with legal issues in recent years, but those situations were far different from this latest one. For a few years, Gibson dealt with child support-related issues with his former wife, Samantha Lee and, in 2024, he was arrested for refusing to pay Lee over $73,000 in support. The actor eventually paid the debt and was held in custody until he did. As of this writing, it remains to be seen if or when Gibson will turn himself in.

I think babies and children should not be involved in the Fast family’s adventures – even though the baby plane fight in The Fate of the Furious was iconic. The quests are far too dangerous for a child. However, I must say, this A.I. imagining of the Fast and Furious cast as babies that Ludacris shared has me thinking these little guys could for sure pull off a mission.

Now, did I ever think I’d see something like this? No. However, I’m happy I did, and I must admit, the A.I. did a frustratingly good job here. The baby Vin Diesel and Ludacris are adorable. The lil Paul Walker is perfect. Oh, and did you see the baby bald Tyrese Gibson chilling in that toy car? Talk about adorable! Take a look at Ludacris’ IG post about “Baby Fast & Furious” below:

Also, not to mention, the tiny Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster have my heart! I already would follow Letty and Mia to the ends of the Earth, and if anything bad happens to them, I’ll be upset. Now I’m really ready to protect their lil counterparts too.

While artificial intelligence can drum up controversy and anger sometimes, that definitely isn’t the case here. Fans got a real kick out of Ludacris’ “Baby Fast & Furious,” commenting things like:

• All of those babies are so cute 😍Great job! -@malaika_torrygirl
• Can’t lie this is so cute!!!😂😍 -@hi_its_dnydra
• Woooooooow😍 -@juanbertheau
• 😍😍Family -@danieljapan
• Baby Han eating chips is so real 😂-@chey.j21
• Baby @tyrese still got that mean look. Love it! -@mofeduncan

I’d like to draw attention to that last comment specifically. As a big fan of the friendship between Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson and their characters' whole shtick in F&F (I mean, that spit take scene from Fast & Furious 6 is hilariously legendary), I found this so funny. Also, the way Gibson’s baby is sitting in the car is hilarious and gives off big Roman energy.

Honestly, this chaotic energy is why I love the Fast & Furious movies, and I’m going to need more of it when Fast 11 is released! It’s always the most fun for me when the cast is also having a blast, and posts like this prove that actors, like Ludacris, aren’t afraid to lean into silly, fun and sometimes ridiculous ideas.

Obviously, I don’t think the F&F cast will go all Rugrats on us. However, it’s the energy this video emits – pure fun and chaos - that I need in Fast 11.

Speaking of this upcoming film, we should really be getting excited about it. It’s been promised that the Fast saga is returning to LA for this upcoming mission, and it will harken back to the days of The Fast and the Furious to celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary. So, while we’re not throwing it all the way back to babies, we are throwing it back to the origins of this franchise, which I’m thrilled about.

However, that’s not happening until 2026. So, in the meantime, I’ll take the Fast content where I can get it, and in this case, it came from Ludacris in the form of wildly accurate A.I. babies.

Following the explosive events of 2023’s Fast X, fans of the long-running Fast & Furious franchise are likely awaiting its next installment, which is also set to be its final chapter. So far, updates on the upcoming film have been few and far between, as many are still trying to assess just what lies at the end of the road for Dominic Toretto and his family. Pundits have looked to the cast in the hopes of getting answers, and Tyrese Gibson is now the latest star to share thoughts. His sentiments on the film’s direction do have me excited, though I am somewhat worried by his production update.

Given the fact that Tyrese Gibson is currently promoting his latest movie, 1992, it was probably inevitable that he’d be asked about the Fast & Furious films (which we’ve chronicled). While speaking with Josh Horowitz of the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast (which is shared on YouTube), Gibson was asked about the rumors regarding the approach to Fast 11. It’s been said that the film will be moving away from the larger-than-life storylines and set pieces that have populated more recent installments. Gibson, who’s played Roman Pearce since 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious, shared a response that honestly makes me happy:

I’m pleased to hear that the FF producers and likely the franchise’s lead star, Vin Diesel, are seeking to return to the series’ street-racing roots for the final installment. From a narrative standpoint, it makes sense, especially since such an approach would bring the high-octane saga full circle. And, like so many people, I have become somewhat disillusioned with some of the theatrics presented in some of the more recent Fast & Furious films. Yes, CinemaBlend’s Fast X review was positive and reactions from some other critics were as well. However, there were plenty of pundits who chastised the flick for its overstuffed nature.

As relieved as I am to hear Tyrese Gibson’s thoughts on that matter, another update he shared is somewhat more concerning. During the interview with Josh Horowitz, he went on to discuss what he knows about the movie thus far. And I’m a bit uneasy:

This past May, it was reported that Fast 11 would be released in 2026 after being removed from the 2025 movie schedule. I suppose this all tracks with the fact that Tyrese Gibson has apparently yet to receive a script. Yet a little part of me can’t help but be discouraged, because the notion of the film not coming out until the year after next feels even more real. At the very least, one would think that Gibson would at least know the gist of the story at this point, though I guess the powers that be are keeping that script under lock and key for now. Of course, there’s also always the possibility that the production schedule changes again, which is a disheartening notion.

What’s also concerning is that there have been some behind-the-scenes changes when it comes to the script. Vin Diesel himself confirmed a change when he shared a post to social media in June. At the time, he confirmed that screenwriter Zach Dean (who has a story credit on Fast X) would be penning the screenplay for the next movie. That came a while after reports that scribes Orien Uziel and Christina Hodson would take on writing duties. I may be overthinking, but I can’t help but wonder if in addition to the delay, this movie is receiving a page-one rewrite. Creative overhauls can definitely have mixed results, and one can only hope that if that’s the case here, it’ll work out favorably.

But, again, I could just be overthinking all of this, and Fast 11’s development is actually going smoothly. If anything, though, fans should be comforted by the fact that the creative team is “taking it back to the streets,” and I’m sure that Tyrese Gibson’s services will be enlisted once more. While you wait for that final film to arrive, stream the Fast & Furious movies now via various platforms, and look over the 2024 movie schedule for info on upcoming releases. You can also see Gibson in 1992, which hits theaters on August 30.

As has been the case with every Fast & Furious movie aside from Fast X, which ended with quite the harrowing cliffhanger, 2013’s Fast & Furious 6 wrapped up with the good guys victorious. Following the defeat of Owen Shaw, Dominic Toretto and his crew went back to the Toretto family home in Los Angeles to celebrate. That get-together also served as the location for one of the Fast & Furious franchise’s funniest moments. An amusing retort from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Luke Hobbs aimed at Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce led Ludacris’ Tej Parker to spit out his drink, and that latter actor has opened up about the story behind that spit take.

In case you need a refresher, when Hobbs showed up at the party, Roman called out to Mia Toretto that she should “hide” her baby oil, a dig at Hobbs’ bald head. Roman quickly said he was just getting, but Hobbs responded with, “You better hide that big-ass forehead!” Tej spit out his drink and Roman was left stunned. In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Ludacris confirmed his reaction was unscripted, then explained how that Fast & Furious 6 moment came to be:

Most moments in movies are obviously scripted ahead of time, but occasionally opportunities for improvisation arise that end up working so well, they make the final cut. Thanks to Ludacris casually making that suggestion to Dwayne Johnson, we got one of those in Fast & Furious 6. That “forehead” line made Ludacris spit out his drink and Gibson got to experience an insult he wasn’t expecting. It’s actually pretty fitting considering how often Roman is teased by his friends.

The spit take did help lighten the mood a bit after Tej and Roman talked with Han Lue about him going to Tokyo following the presumed death of his girlfriend, Gisele Yashar. Han was later believed to have died too during the events of Tokyo Drift, which took place concurrently with the Fast & Furious 6 end-credits scene and a portion of Furious 7. Fortunately, F9 revealed that Han’s death had been faked by Mr. Nobody, and we learned in Fast X that Gisele is alive too, although how she survived falling out of that plane remains a mystery.

If you’re now wanting to watch Fast & Furious 6, it can be streamed with a Peacock subscription. Otherwise, keep an eye out for our continuing coverage on Fast 11, which is set for release in 2026, and the mid-quel Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Reyes.

What do actors and models have in common? Well, for the most part, having “the look” will get you in the door in either profession rather quickly. However, for the purposes of the list you’re about to peruse, it just so happens that these Hollywood stars managed to work both sides of that scenario. And as expected, these models-turned-actors have done so with style. 

Mark Wahlberg

Before starring in movies ranging from Boogie Nights to The Family Plan, Mark Wahlberg was known as a rapper and a Calvin Klein model. Showing off his buff body in underwear ads helped give the aspiring star his start in the entertainment industry, with Mark shifting into acting just as his boy-band brother Donnie eventually did. 

Rebecca Romijn

In a career that saw her on Vogue magazine covers and in Victoria’s Secret campaigns, Rebecca Romijn put the “super” in “supermodel.” And then, in a move that only further strengthened that statement, she took her first acting gig as Mystique in X-Men, kickstarting a career that’s led to such fantastic parts as that of Number One on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. 

Tyrese Gibson

Ads for Coca-Cola, Guess, and Tommy Hilfiger had Tyrese Gibson primed for stardom, and gigs on TV shows like Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper and Martin soon followed. But depending on who you ask, it was either Baby Boy or 2 Fast 2 Furious that caused Gibson’s star to rise to the heights it’s at today. 

Halle Berry

It’s no surprise that Halle Berry did some modeling in her entertainment career, as her beauty has always been well renowned. But rather than going for traditional ad campaign work, the future star of X-Men and James Bond movies was a contestant in both the Miss USA and Miss World pageants. 

Jamie Dornan

Prepare for a rollercoaster ride, folks. Jamie Dornan, actor known for everything from Fifty Shades of Grey to A Haunting in Venice, was not only a model…he was part of a reality show that helped get him the gig. Channel 4’s Model Behaviour led to some gigs with Abercrombie & Fitch and Tommy Hilfiger, which eventually made way for Dornan to be discovered by Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. 

Cara Delevingne

We’ve seen Cara Delevingne do everything from John Green adaptations like Paper Towns to DCEU juggernauts such as Suicide Squad. And with a foundation of modeling for Vogue Italia, Tory Burch, and Donna Karan under her belt, the American Horror Story: Delicate star never really gave up her day job, as her modeling continued along with her acting efforts.

Channing Tatum

There was probably a time when people staring at random Armani ads featuring Channing Tatum thought, “I wonder if he can act?” With a resume that has titles like Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street, and Foxcatcher  to boast about, it’s probably safe to say that the answer is a confident “Yes!”

Jaime King

As a young model, Jaime King saw herself making a splash with Vogue, Seventeen, and pretty much any other fashion publication of note you could think of. 2001’s Happy Campers was all it took to help her jump into the acting world, which saw her play some impressive parts in Sin City’s screen adaptation, Fox’s The O.C., and even the voice of Solus Prime in the series Transformers: Power of the Primes.

Shemar Moore

S.W.A.T. star and all around heartthrob Shemar Moore actually had his own moment in the spotlight of modeling. Through catalog jobs with Macy’s and magazine shoots for GQ, among other opportunities, this man of action continues to engage in some modeling here and there; which only brings his fans that much more joy. 

Devon Aoki

Movie fans might recognize Devon Aoki from her standout roles in both Sin City and 2 Fast 2 Furious, but believe it or not her modeling career is the stronger of the two streams she’s dipped her toes into. Brands and magazines alike have showcased her talents in the industry, with Balenciaga and Harper’s Bazaar calling themselves a part of her storied body of work.

James Marsden

Jury Duty and Sonic the Hedgehog star James Marsden feels like the type of guy that’d be a model, right? How couldn’t he, with a smile like that? Well, if the world didn’t know it before his 2011 interview on Ellen, Ms. DeGeneres helped bring that aspect of his career to light; along with the pictures to prove it.

Gal Gadot

Jaguar, Maxim, and Gucci are only some of the brands and publications that Fast Saga star Gal Gadot has modeled for. This Heart of Stone lead eventually saw herself courted by Hollywood in the early-Aughts, thanks to auditions for Quantum of Solace that saw Gal compete with Olga Kurylenko for the role of Bond woman Camille. 

Antonio Sabàto Jr.

Calvin Klein was the name of the brand that gave actor Antonio Sabàto Jr. his start in the public eye, as underwear modeling was his first claim to fame. Eventually, projects like General Hospital, Earth 2, and even a Janet Jackson music video would see Antonio becoming an acting talent that continued to capitalize on their dreamy good looks. 

Charlize Theron

Even after winning her first Academy Award for Monster, and landing big ticket franchise like the Fast Saga, Charlize Theron still managed to fit in some modeling for Dior into her busy schedule. Which is absolutely fitting, considering that Theron got a jump start on her entertainment resume as a teen model throughout Europe in the ‘90s.

Mehcad Brooks

Fans of Law & Order and Supergirl’s Mehcad Brooks may want to brace themselves for what we’re about to tell them. Before Mr. Brooks was a part of worlds where superheroes and top cops reign supreme, he made a killing as a Calvin Klein underwear model; much like Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Sabàto Jr, and Djimon Hounsou.

Milla Jovovich

Before becoming an ace action star/zombie destroyer in the Resident Evil movies, Milla Jovovich found herself in another profession: muse. As an inspiration to designer Miuccia Prada, in addition to the star of shoots with acclaimed photographers such as Herb Ritts, Jovovich built a prolific career as a model; long before she would eventually be deemed a “Supreme Being” once again in 1995’s The Fifth Element.

Tyson Beckford

Before movies such as Biker Boyz and appearances on The Celebrity Dating Game and Match Game saw Tyson Beckford become an actor and personality, he saw himself engaged in another profession cut from similar cloth. Namely, Beckford was a model for magazines like The Source, as well as designer Ralph Lauren’s Polo brand.

Brooklyn Decker

The career of Brooklyn Decker started off with a huge splash, as both Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret employed the future actor as a star model. Eventually, playing a lead in the Adam Sandler film Just Go with It put Decker on the map; which led to a pretty sweet long term gig as one of the stars of Netflix’s Grace and Frankie. 

Ian Somerhalder

Lost star and vampire extraordinaire Ian Somerhalder practiced looking ridiculously good looking in the modeling world, before parlaying it into roles that headed up projects like The CW’s The Vampire Diaries. Among the various brands that saw Somerhalder posing for greatness high end names like Nautica and Versace. 

Iman

In the modeling world, brands and magazines like Vogue, Calvin Klein, and Halston all called upon the mythic talents of the great Iman. Yves Saint-Laurent’s “dream woman” would eventually find the acting profession calling, and would heed its siren song through opportunities like the Kevin Costner thriller No Way Out, as well as a memorable spot in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Tom Welling

Even handsome men from Smallville manage to find themselves gracing campaigns for the usual glizy subjects. Former Clark Kent Tom Welling knows that first hand, as working with Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein would put him on the map to become a Superman for another generation. 

Tyra Banks

Long before Tyra Banks was trying to help find America’s Next Top Model, she was practically living her life under that very title. Through Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, Victoria’s Secret campaigns, and cover shoots for Elle and Vogue, Banks’ reputation as an in demand beauty eventually saw her jumping into acting gigs like a recurring role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. 

Kellan Lutz

Vampires seem to make for good fashion models. Or should we reverse that statement? In either case, Kellan Lutz would be covered big time. Known as one of the Cullen family in The Twilight Saga, Lutz had also done some modeling before becoming one of the sparkling undead.

Kate Upton

Roles in The Three Stooges, The Disaster Artist and Robot Chicken have seen model Kate Upton active in the sphere of acting entertainment. However, her big start came from popularity stemming from cover shoots for Vanity fair, as well as modeling for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. 

Djimon Hounsou

Actor Djimon Hounsou has been known to battle it out heroically throughout various universes and time periods, making huge appearances in Gladiator, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Rebel Moon. But in addition to racking up such heavy hitting acts on his resume, the Academy Award nominee has also done some modeling for Calvin Klein underwear in the midst of his busy run.

Famke Janssen

Both the world of the X-Men movies, as well the James Bond legacy have called upon Famke Janssen’s skills as a performer. That run of good fortune actually came after she retired from modeling, which saw her lending her talents to campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent and Victoria’s Secret throughout the ‘80s.

Kofi Siriboe

Girls Trip and Queen Sugar star Kofi Siriboe is known as both an actor and an all around smokeshow in entertainment. And part of the reason the young actor has come so far so fast is thanks to childhood experience in the world of modeling campaigns!

Elle Macpherson

Everything from brands like Tab to magazines such as Elle and ads for Christian Dior have seen model Elle Macpherson gracing their campaigns for glory. And that was a perfect launching pad for Elle’s acting ambitions, which saw her hosting Saturday Night Live as well as appearing in movies such as Batman & Robin and The Edge throughout the ‘90s.

Robert Pattinson

While the world mostly knows Robert Pattinson for his acting gigs in the Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Batman franchises, you may be surprised to know that he actually did some modeling in his youth. Though he left that world behind a while back, that hasn’t stopped Pattinson from picking up some campaigns for brands like Dior Men from the Batcave.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Levi’s, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Teen Vogue were crucial starts to the career of model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and those pillars suited her well when continuing to be a world class icon. However, Rosie dipped her toes in the world of acting, through roles in both Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Mad Max: Fury Road.

Ashton Kutcher

How’s this for a start to a promising career? The late ‘90s saw Ashton Kutcher landing key gigs in both modeling and acting, with the former getting him started through Calvin Klein campaigns. It’s not hard to see how acting won out, as That ‘70s Show was the acting job that happened to land in his lap around the same time.

Elizabeth Hurley

The world has come to know and love Elizabeth Hurley in her capacity as an actor, throughout a career that’s seen her star in the Austin Powers franchise, as well as the remake of Bedazzled. But before she was selling Brendan Fraser’s soul, or fighting for peace with Mike Myers, Hurley was a model for the Estée Lauder brand. 

There you have it, lovers of modeling and acting talent! Keep these people in mind the next time you see a hot new star in either realm burning bright, for they could be the next exciting example of playing both sides, and looking exceptionally good in the process.

Now, let’s get something straight, when we watch Fast and Furious movies we are not seeking them out for scientific accuracy. We are watching them for fast cars, fantastical action and family…duh. However, it’s hard not to wonder if the wild stunts and missions in these movies could actually happen in real life. I know I certainly have pondered that, especially when I watched F9 and saw Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris’ characters go to space, yes space. Well, now a real astronaut has broken down the scene, and while it’s “fun,” as expected, it’s not accurate, and he roasted one specific aspect of Tej and Roman’s mission. 

While any viewer can understand that the space mission in F9 is totally unrealistic, retired astronaut Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to walk in space, broke down exactly why this wouldn’t work in an interview with Vanity Fair. He explained that while the movies are “fun,” they’re also almost like a “cartoon” with how outlandish they can be. He pointed out a specific example of why the space mission was unrealistic by comparing the amount of time it took him to get to space vs. Tej and Roman in the ninth Fast and Furious movie. He said:

Talk about a roast! While Hadfield gave “kudos” to Top Gun: Maverick for its accuracy, he couldn’t really do the same for F9. 

However, he does love the movie, and he found one element of Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris’ trip off Earth that actually is accurate. After he commented on how driving a Pontiac Fiero in space is nothing like flying a spaceship, he noted there was one moment in F9 that looked like something he’d experienced. He said:

Along with his little comparative roast, I love that Hadfield noted one of the accurate pieces of this overall outlandish sequence. 

In the end, the Fast movies are not here to show us what cars are realistically capable of. The fun action flicks are meant to make impossible scenarios look possible through movie magic. Seeing beloved characters like the two Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson play go to space was incredibly fun, and something Fast fans loved, Hadfield included. 

Tej and Roman’s space mission may not be accurate, but it’s a real big highlight on the Fast and Furious timeline. To watch F9 and this iconic space-based sequence, you can stream the movie on Freevee through an Amazon Prime subscription.

Boys, we’re back! I’m overjoyed to report that we have reached the end of this nearly six-month journey through the first nine (plus Hobbs and Shaw) Fast and Furious movies, and we ended with a doozy. F9: The Fast Saga was a campy, over-the-top movie that saw the crew on a journey to stop Dom’s brother Jakob, and I loved it, which I realize is a hot take. Between going to space, some much-needed dramatic moments and an incredibly creative magnet car chase, I really enjoyed this movie, and would rank it fairly high among the other Fast films. However, I think what's most important is F9 was such a fun way to cap off this saga before we all see Fast X. 

Tej And Roman Going To Space Was Legendary

Throughout this entire series, I’ve written a lot about how much I wanted to see a car fly, which is abundantly clear if you’ve read my thoughts on Furious 7. Not only did my dreams come true with this movie, but how they made said car fly surpassed all expectations I had, as they sent Tej and Roman into space.

While I still don’t fully understand why the crew felt the need to go to space, it was by far one of my favorite moments in the franchise’s history. Part of the reason is that they sent the comedic and chaotic duo, Tej and Roman, up there. However, it also showed how willing the franchise is to lean into the ridiculousness of the saga and make creative decisions that are impossible in reality, but oh so much fun to watch on screen. 

We Finally Saw Some Genuinely Good Female Representation 

Over the last nine movies, one of my biggest qualms has been the lack of female representation and the hyper-masculine nature ingrained in every movie. While F9 was still hyper-masculine, this was the first one that really felt like it was giving Letty, Mia and the other women in the franchise their time to shine. By pairing Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster together for the Tokyo storyline, and by introducing Anna Sawai as Elle, Han’s kickass friend, the women were given an epic, and important storyline, and it was so refreshing to see.  

The Magnets Sequence Was Not Only Cool, But Incredibly Creative

We’ve seen tanks, and cars falling out of planes, but we’ve never seen a chase that relies on magnets to take down an enemy. I was blown away by this impossible stunt, and thought the way the movie used the magnets throughout was incredibly creative. 

Sadly, this stunt is very much not possible, as astrophysicist Aaron White explained to IGN: 

While explaining all the science behind how metals attract to one another, and at what point magnets can’t attract and pull other metals, he noted that some of what happened is “beyond what is impossible,” but also “not totally absurd.” However, I’d posit that it’s these totally absurd stunts that make these movies so fun. 

Basically, Everything Roman Said In The Movie Was Out Of This World 

While Roman has always been great comedic relief in these movies, they took it to a new level with his dialogue in F9. 

It’s safe to say Rome is the relative voice of reason in these movies, compared to the other characters, and for a while now he’s always been the one understandably freaking out and questioning the absurdness of the shenanigans the family gets up to. This movie took that idea to a whole new level, not only by upping the funny reactions from Tyrese Gibson’s character, but also by having him actually start to question if the crew is invincible. I thought it was actually hilarious that he's the only one who has seemed to realize that it’s really weird that there haven’t been many serious injuries or deaths among the crew who has been finding themselves in death-defying situations for the last 20 years.  

The Flashbacks And Young Actors Playing Dom And Jakob Added A Much Needed Dramatic Weight To The Movie 

I feel like it’s imperative for me to address right off the bat that I know young Dom and Jakob really convolute the Fast and Furious timeline. While they’re supposed to be quite a bit younger than the actors playing them, I must admit Vinnie Bennett, who played Young Dom, and Finn Cole, who played Young Jakob, brought a lot of depth to their characters, and really carried the movie dramatically.

Admittedly, I came in with some bias here, because as a big Peaky Blinders fan I was so excited to see Cole, who plays Michael on that show, in F9. His casting, along with the genuinely good performances from the two young actors really helped ground Dom and Jakob’s story, and is a big reason why I enjoyed this movie so much. And, I say this because we finally got a bigger reason as to why family is important beyond the crew just saying the word all the time. 

I Need To Talk About Han And How He Came Back To Life 

Knowing that Sung Kang returned to the Fast franchise before watching F9 had me hypothesizing for weeks about how they’d explain his comeback, because he seemed pretty dead after Tokyo Drift. In my opinion, the explanation was not logical at all; it was basically just like “because Mr. Nobody said so,” and they left it at that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy Han is back, however, there was absolutely no reasonable way to bring him back to life (lowkey a second time). I’m willing to overlook the illogical explanation about how he survived that explosion, however, when talking about this movie, it’s a topic we absolutely had to discuss. 

For some reason, they keep coming back to killing Han in Tokyo Drift, and it’s clear it’s also going to impact Fast X with Han and Shaw meeting up during the F9 ending. I don’t know why they keep harping on this plot point, and keep trying to justify why it didn’t actually happen, but it is entertaining to see all their kind of bonkers explanations as to how the fan-favorite character is still alive. 

Other Thoughts 

• Please give me a spinoff of Cardi B and her crew of agents. 
• Sean, Bow Wow, and the rocket men were a hilarious addition to the movie, that I loved. 
• Helen Mirren deserves her own Fast spinoff. 
• Time is a loose, possibly non-existent concept in this franchise, and I’m working really hard to accept this. 
• The homage to Brian and Paul Walker at the very end was sweet. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed F9; it was camp, extra, and over the top, which is everything I love about the Fast franchise. After two rough entries in the saga, I was ready to go back to form and be engulfed in the ridiculous world of Dominic Toretto’s family, and this did exactly that. Plus, it made me all the more excited to see the 2023 movie schedule entry, Fast X, when it finally zooms into theaters on May 19.

Before you go see the highly anticipated Fast X in theaters, you can stream F9 with an HBO Max subscription. 

The 10th installment in the ridiculously popular Fast & Furious saga is finally upon us. Fans last caught up with Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto and the crew in 2021’s F9, and in Fast X — the first movie of a two-part finale (or possibly a trilogy, per Diesel) — the family will be confronted with their past. Jason Momoa joins the franchise as the son of Hernan Reyes from Fast Five, and he’s seeking revenge against Dom’s family for their role in his father’s death. With just a week until the blockbuster hits theaters, some have had the opportunity to attend an early screening, and they’re hitting social media with their first reactions.

In addition to Jason Momoa’s “flamboyant bad boy” Dante, others joining the Fast & Furious universe include Brie Larson, Alan Ritchson, Daniela Melchior and Rita Moreno. The Fast X cast also returns a lot of our favorites from the past two decades, including Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Cardi B, Charlize Theron, John Cena, Jason Statham, Helen Mirren and more. So let’s see what people are saying about the epic 10th film, starting with CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg, who praises Momoa’s “gleeful psychopath,” tweeting: 

KIrsten Acuna of Insider is one of several people saying this feels like the franchise’s Infinity War, with Dante as Thanos. In her tweet thread, she says she ranks it about in the middle of the Fast & Furious movies and definitely has some quibbles, but overall can’t wait to see it again. Acuna’s full breakdown: 

Liam Crowley of Comicbook.com calls the film “utterly ridiculous,” but surely he means it in the very best way. Be sure to make it to the theater to see this one on the big screen, Crowley tweets: 

Jason Momoa is the subject of many of the first reactions, including that of ScreenRant’s Joseph Deckelmeier, who says the actor oozes charisma as Dante:

Even Germain Lussier of Gizmodo, who calls Fast X the “worst Fast yet,” concedes that the Aquaman star is “God-Level” in his franchise introduction. His performance alone is worth the price of admission, Lussier says: 

In addition to Jason Momoa, who film critic Simon Thompson calls “decadent,” Alan Ritchson is another standout. Despite the large cast, somehow Fast X doesn’t feel like it’s got too many cooks in the kitchen. Thompson continues: 

The impending release of Fast X has also brought about news regarding Dwayne Johnson’s future with the Fast & Furious franchise, after he was absent from F9. I’ll avoid saying anything more here, but fans who are invested in what’s going on with Luke Hobbs can click that link.

Overall, it sounds like audiences are in for another wild ride — and we’ve come to expect nothing less from these movies — and Jason Momoa sounds like a thrilling addition to an already stacked cast. If you need to relive any of the previous installments ahead of Fast X’s release to theaters on Friday, May 19, check out how to watch the first nine Fast and Furious movies. Also be sure to see what else is hitting the big screen soon with our 2023 movie release schedule. 

The legal system is always a difficult and emotional thing for any person to have to navigate. Still, emotions are always going to run highest in family court when the ends of marriages and the welfare of children is the topic of discussion. Tyrese Gibson has been spending a significant portion of his time dealing with child support issues in an Atlanta courtroom in recent months, fighting a judge’s order because, according to him, he’s taking a stand on behalf of all fathers.

Gibson was recently ordered by an Atlanta judge to pay $636,000, with $237,000 set to go to his ex-wife to cover back child support, and the balance will pay for her attorney’s fees. Tyrese was also held in contempt of court for refusing to pay a $10,000-a-month child support judgment put in place last August, which was backdated to September 2020. Speaking with TMZ, Gibson explained that the reason he’s fighting the payments is not because he can’t pay them but because he thinks they are unfair. Gibson said…

Tyrese apparently feels that he’s being asked to pay more than he should and believes that by continuing the fight the ruling against him, he will draw attention to the way he is being treated unfairly. He will apparently be expected to pay the amount by May 15, but it sounds like he’ll be appealing that ruling and may continue to fight.

While Gibson says he has the money to pay the judgment, it sounds like the actor's argument is that during the period of the support payments in question, he wasn’t making money due to being out of work because of the global pandemic or simply not having any active film projects. Gibson feels that being asked to pay that much during that period is an abuse of power on the part of the judge. He continued…

Tyrese certainly isn’t the first father to feel that he’s being treated unfairly by the court system, other celebrities have attempted to “shine a light” on perceived injustice, but it rarely amounts to much. While this certainly doesn’t appear to be the end, as Tyrese vows to continue fighting, it’s unlikely he will accomplish all his goals.

Child support and child custody is frequently a sticking point when couples split up.  The ongoing divorce of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt which has still not concluded is largely due to custody problems. Child support is the current focus of the separation of Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde, who first fought over where such decisions would be made before getting to the actual topic of support. Wilde claims that Sudeikis has not been paying his share since their split.

Being recognized in public is something every actor has to deal with on a recurring basis. However, no matter who you are or what comfort level you have with fan interactions, it’s still wild when the public mistakes an actor like Morris Chestnut for someone like Tyrese Gibson. It’s probably a good thing that the Girls Trip star mentioned this mix-up when he did, as Fast X’s position on the 2023 new movie releases slate makes this story quite timely.

During Chestnut’s recent appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, he was questioned about the times he’s been confused with other stars in Hollywood. And sure enough, he had this Fast Saga story to tell: 

Yes, you absolutely read that correctly. Apparently some people think that the actor known for his role on Fox’s The Resident, and most recently appeared in Peacock’s The Best Man: The Final Chapters, has that close of a resemblance to Tyrese Gibson. Besides both men being handsome leads who know how to make their presence known on the screen, it’s kind of hard to mix these two up.

Tyrese Gibson isn’t the only Black leading man who Morris Chestnut has been mistaken for. Further along in that same conversation. he continued to share a couple other notable celebrities he’s apparently a dead ringer for. Prepare yourself for even more fun with mistaken identity, as here’s who else Morris has been called out for resembling: 

At least in the case of Taye Diggs, there’s a shared connection with The Best Man series, so mixing up Morris Chestnut with his franchise co-star isn’t the largest stretch. Though when it comes to actual resemblance, radio host and Kanye West conversation partner Charlamagne tha God isn't too much of a jump. In fact, he may be the one out of all of these would be doubles that physically maps the closest to Chestnut’s facial features.

While Mr. Chestnut is definitely a star in his own right, it’s still interesting to hear the people who audiences at large may accidentally confuse him with. Maybe that sort of scenario will change after this call out, or maybe Morris Chestnut will continue to be identified as resembling other, more wild doppelgängers. Only time will truly tell, and the man himself will probably share even more of those stories should they crop up.  

Whether you want to watch Tyrese Gibson in his many appearances on the Fast and Furious franchise timeline, or if you still want to see Morris Chestnut in the streaming series The Best Man: The Final Chapters, one service has you covered. At the time of this writing, both of those options can be found by those with a Peacock subscription. 

Meanwhile, Fast X hits theaters on May 19. 2023, beginning the two-part conclusion to the Fast Saga. And no, to the best of our knowledge, Morris Chestnut hasn't been cast as the long lost brother of Roman Pierce, but apparently that's not a bad idea to consider for the final film.

Anyone who’s invested the Fast & Furious films knows the cast is a family both on and off screen. They tell moving stories about their connections and post about their reunions via social media regularly. The bond seems particularly strong between Vin Diesel and Tyrese Gibson (who fought to remain with FF), even though the two didn't appear film together in the franchise until Fast Five. The two co-stars are always commenting on each other’s posts and showing love. But this time was different, as Diesel shared a sweet post prompting a response from Gibson that really makes me emotional.

The sweet exchange began when Vin Diesel took the time to shoutout his longtime co-star in a touching post he shared to his Instagram. In the sentimental message, the Dominic Toretto actor acknowledged Gibson and how far they and the beloved action franchise have come over the last decade. From there, Diesel mentioned being excited about the press tour for the anticipated Fast X -- the latest flick in the series. Check out the sweet caption along with the loving photo of the two co-stars/friends:

The Fast alums looked like they were having so much fun while taking in the beautiful moonlight. Given how relaxed the two look, one wouldn't even think that they were working on a movie at the time. Their closeness has been on display several times over the years, with Gibson even defending Diesel during the height of the latter’s feud with former co-star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Upon seeing the lovely post, Gibson wasted no time in leaving a thoughtful and emotional response. The longtime Fast & Furious star spoke about Diesel being a quality friend over the years:

His reply got even more heartfelt, as he spoke about all the times that the Riddick star showed up for him over the years. All in all, the Transformers alum perfectly illustrated how his friend has always had his back:

I’m not crying, you are! It's quite touching to hear Tyrese Gibson speak about Vin Diesel the man rather than the movie star. You can tell the two stars have a deep connection that allows them to show up for each other during the good and tough times. For instance, Diesel supported Gibson when his mother died last year. The fact that they have a mutual admiration and respect for their late co-star and friend Paul Walker has probably also strengthened their bond over the years. 

Hopefully, fans will get to see their brotherhood on display even more once the Fast X press tour starts. With this being the first part of their final Fast outing, I imagine laughs will be shared and tears will be shed during interviews.

Fast X will hit theaters on May 19 as part of the schedule of 2023 new movie releases, with Fast & Furious 11 reportedly set for release in February 2024. In the meantime, go stream every Fast & Furious movie in order to catch up on the saga.

Fast X began filming on April 21, and while Justin Lin vacated the director’s chair just a week after cameras started rolling, production has been going relatively smoothly following Louis Leterrier being handed the helming reins. Among the familiar faces back for the latest Fast & Furious movie are Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce and Sung Kang as Han Lue. Well, someone caught a rare glimpse of Gibson and Lue hanging out between takes on the Fast X set, and the moment between the two that was captured is adorable.

It’s been a while since Tyrese Gibson and Sung Kang worked together in the Fast & Furious world, but last year’s F9 brought the latter actor back in play for the franchise, resulting in Han Lue reuniting with Roman Pearce and the other members of Dominic Toretto’s unorthodox family. Gibson and Kang certainly look cozy with one another in the below photo the former shared on Instagram, and while Gibson isn’t sure who took that photo, he did provide some context for it:

Moviemaking is a challenging endeavor, so any opportunity to have fun and laugh on set are most welcome. As Tyrese Gibson shared, the above picture is the aftermath of him and Sung Kang having a great time with each other on the Fast X set, with Gibson tuckered out (jet lag also factored into that) and propping his head on his costar’s back. Gibson had nothing but praise for Kang in this post, and he also recalled the reaction during the world premiere of the first F9 trailer when Han Lue showed up at the every end. Fans were excited the character was back, and Gibson is pleased to be working with Kang again.

Han died in his introductory movie, 2006’s Tokyo Drift, but thanks to the Fast & Furious franchise winding back the timeline’s clock, we were able to spend more time with him in 2009’s Fast & Furious, 2011’s Fast Five and 2013’s Fast & Furious 6. However, eventually time caught back up, and with the Fast & Furious 6 end-credits scene and Furious 7 showing that Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw was responsible for Han’s fiery demise, it was thought that our time with the character had come to an end. Instead, it was revealed in F9 that Kurt Russell’s Mr. Nobody had faked Han’s death, and he’d stayed in hiding for years afterwards to protect Anna Sawai’s Elle. Now that the young woman is safe, Han is free to resume driving fast cars and saving the world.

Since specific plot details for Fast X are still being kept secret from the public, we don’t know what’s in store yet for Roman, Han and the rest of the protagonists, although one of their new adversaries will be played by Jason Momoa. Having said that, F9’s mid-credits scene showed Han paying a visit to Deckard Shaw, who was shocked to see him alive. Even though Han never actually died, there’s beef between these two that needs to be resolved. Statham hasn’t been announced to appear Fast X, but with just one more movie left in the main Fast & Furious film series after this, we’ll need a wrap-up to this particular subplot before all is said and done. As for Roman, after going to space with Ludacris’ Tej Parker in F9, it’s hard to imagine him going through an even wilder experience.

Fast X races into theaters on May 19, 2023, and CinemaBlend will share more news items on how filming is coming along. In the meantime, the 2022 movie releases schedule is available to look through so you can plan what cinematic entertainment to check out for the rest of this year.

For over two decades, audiences have continued to turn up in droves for the Fast & Furious franchise, and you better believe there’s more where that came from in the next couple of years. The Fast family is currently filming Fast X ahead of its planned theatrical release a year from now. As production continues, Ludacris has share a funny video with fans about how he and Tyrese Gibson are killing time in between scenes.

On massive films like Fast X, there’s likely a lot more waiting for the actors than actual acting. Therefore, why not get a hookah bar set up like Tyrese Gibson apparently did on set? Check out the Instagram video: 

Ludacris took to social media to share a video of himself showing Tyrese Gibson’s hookah setup, which he apparently was sat at between Fast X scenes. The rapper/actor said the break room add was a “first” and he couldn’t “make this shit up” before revealing Gibson next to a couple hookah sets in front of him. Gibson looked a tad embarrassed, nervously laughing, as Ludacris showcased what he was doing. In the comment section, Gibson said “Hahahahahahahaah you posted this lol” before reposting the video on his own account and teasing that the pair are “at it again.” 

Gibson said “this is not even mine” when Ludacris asked him what he “had to say for himself.” Maybe he’s joking and it's Ludacris’ own setup? Perhaps they set it up together? Who knows, but either way, it’s a funny behind the scenes moment for Fast X while we anticipate the upcoming 2022 movie. 

Fast X has been filming for a little over a month following a bump in the road when frequent Fast & Furious filmmaker Justin Lin left the project “due to creative differences.” He has since been replaced by Louis Leterrier, and the production is hitting the ground running. Tyrese Gibson looks set for a quality smoke break alongside Ludacris, who will respectively reprise their roles of Roman and Tej. This will also mark their seventh Fast movie each. 

Also among the Fast X cast is returning actors Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Charlize Theron, Jordana Brewster and some new blood in Jason Momoa set to play the villain, The Suicide Squad’s Daniela Melchior, Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson and Jack Reacher star Alan Ritchson. This week, it was announced that West Side Story’s Rita Moreno would be playing Dom’s grandmother as well. 

We don’t know the plot of Fast X, but Tyrese Gibson has previously teased that the script is on some “other other shit,” so get strapped in for a wild ride. The movie will hit theaters on May 19, 2023 and will be followed by a second part in 2023 that will end the main Fast franchise. Stay tuned here for more behind-the-scenes looks on the making of the Fast movies. 

Fast and Furious’ Tyrese Gibson has not been one to stay away from controversy. He was in a feud with Dwayne Johnson that was finally settled about hogging the attention after joining the Fast and Furious family. Do you know who else he might owe an apology? Both rapper Dr. Dre and Apple. According to Wealthy Gorilla, Dr. Dre is considered the third richest rapper in the world with an estimated net worth of $820 million. It turns out that Dr. Dre lost out on becoming a billionaire and Tyrese Gibson might have something to do with it.

An infamous video of Dr. Dre surfaced of him celebrating Apple buying his company Beats Electronics and calling himself “the first billionaire in hip-hop.” Unfortunately, that video made him $200 million short of that dream. According to iMore, Tripp Mickle's book After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul spoke about how Tim Cooke took over as CEO of Apple after Steve Jobs’ passing. He discovered Dr. Dre’s Beats and felt like it was the solution to Apple’s "failure to enter the music streaming service.” While on the cusp of finalizing a massive deal, the only thing that could ruin it is if the news of Apple buying Beats were to leak out. Everyone was to keep quiet.

As bad luck would have it, rapper Puff Daddy told Beat’s co-founder Jimmy Iovine about a video posted on Facebook of Tyrese Gibson and Dr. Dre revealing the deal. Gibson bragged about being drunk on Heineken and Dr. Dre announced that it was time to update the Forbes rich list as he was to be the first billionaire in hip-hop. While Cooke still went through with the deal to buy Beats, an estimated $200 million was taken off of its offering price because of the social media fiasco. 

This wouldn’t be the first time that Dr. Dre entered a financial blunder. When there was a threat that the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show could be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Dre stood against the threat of losing millions if that were to happen. Luckily, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, and other musical acts were still able to perform an entertaining halftime show. Believe me, even if Dr. Dre is not the richest rapper in the world, he’s still rolling in the millions he’s got.

As for Tyrese Gibson, he’s got the final Fast and Furious movie to keep him on his toes. He hyped up the film by saying “we are officially on some other other shit.” Well, at least he didn't leak the plot of this movie. This can mean we’re expecting some big and weird stuff to close off this car-chasing franchise. While we may not know the plot, we do know that Aquaman’s Jason Momoa will play the villain of the film and The Suicide Squad’s breakout star Daniela Melchior will also be part of the franchise’s conclusion. We can also expect a number of returning stars to come together to bring audiences one last glance at “the family.” 

Don’t lose out on watching Tyrese Gibson in F9 on your HBO Max subscription before the final movie hits theaters on May 19th, 2023.

The franchise that’s been living its life a quarter mile at a time is winding down. While the Fast & Furious world will surely continue on through spinoffs in the years to come, the main saga starring Dominic Toretto and his crew is in the final leg of this 20-plus-year endurance race with what could be a trilogy set within the popular franchise. The first of these final movies saw some of the series’ most popular characters going up against one of best Fast & Furious villains in some time, while also setting up what’s to come with the Fast X ending.

From Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto to Jason Momoa’s over the top Dante Reyes and everyone in between, the Fast X cast was filled from top to bottom with unforgettable performances that fans of the series will be talking about for years to come. And if you’re trying to figure out where you’ve seen those familiar (and not-so-familiar) faces before, look no further, for we are about to break it all down now…  

Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto) 

Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto has appeared in all the Fast & Furious movies except for 2 Fast 2 Furious, and has become the heart, soul, and face of the franchise in the years since we first met the dominant street racer and fearless hero. And that remains the same in Fast X, which saw Dom face one of his toughest enemies yet, one who wouldn’t back down no matter what.

Though Diesel is most associated with the Fast & Furious movies, the badass action star has had an incredibly varied career, including dramas like Multi-Facial,Strays, and Saving Private Ryan, some of the best Marvel movies with his portrayal of Groot, the Riddick franchise, and the xXx action series, to name only a few.

Jason Momoa (Dante Reyes) 

Dante Reyes, the son of Hernan Reyes, Fast Five’s main antagonist, is honestly one of the best things to happen to the Fast & Furious franchise in a long time, and that’s thanks to Jason Momoa’s outlandish and incredibly violent portrayal of the villain.

Momoa, who first found success on shows like Baywatch: Hawaii and Stargate Atlantis, reached new heights in 2011 with his portrayal of Khal Drogo on Game Of Thrones. Since then, the actor has given incredible performances in the DCEU, Dune, and Sweet Girl, with even more on the way, like the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. 

 Michelle Rodriguez (Letty Ortiz)

Michelle Rodriguez has also been part of the Fast & Furious franchise since the beginning, although it wasn’t until Fast & Furious 6 that she started taking a more central role in these movies. And in Fast X, Letty had one of her biggest stories yet, especially when it came to her time with Charlize Theron’s Cipher.

Over the course of the past few decades, Rodriguez has become one of the most badass action stars on the planet, with unforgettable roles in everything from the Resident Evil franchise to Avatar to the 2023 fantasy adventure film, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. 

Tyrese Gibson (Roman Pearce)

Introduced as Brian O’Connor’s childhood best friend in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce has been a major part of the franchise since Fast Five, including a hilarious and intense performance in Fast X.

Outside of the Fast-verse, Gibson has landed roles in movies like Baby Boy, Four Brothers, The System, and Morbius. And if that wasn’t enough, Gibson also continues to have a successful music career, with an upcoming, Beautiful Pain, being released at some point in the near future, per Vibe. 

Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges (Tej Parker) 

Chris “Ludacris” Bridges’ Tej Parker also debuted in 2 Fast 2 Furious, hosting the street races Brian O’Connor drove in and later helping out him and Roman Pearce in their mission. Since then, he’s become a major part of the Toretto crew.

Though the rapper-turned-actor hasn’t released a full studio album since 2015’s Ludaversal, he’s remained quite busy with movies like John Henry, End of the Road, and several others. He even hosted his own reality series, Luda Can’t Cook, in 2022, which the three-time Grammy winner followed up with an appearance on Top Chef.

Nathalie Emmanuel (Ramsey)

Introduced in Furious 7, Nathalie Emmanuel’s Ramsey is undoubtedly the tech-guru of the crew, and she put her skills to work in Fast X.

Though she was already established by the time she joined the Game of Thrones cast during the show’s third season, Emmanuel will always be remembered for her turn as Missandei during the major of the HBO fantasy series’ run. Since then, Emmanuel has appeared in movies like Army of Thieves and The Invitation, as well as shows like Four Weddings and a Funeral and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

Sung Kang (Han Lue)

A few years after he returned to the franchise in F9: The Fast Saga, Sung Kang is back once more as Han Lue in Fast X, in which he finds himself on quite a wild trip around the world. 

In addition to his multiple appearances in some of the best Fast & Furious movies, Kang has appeared in movies like We Can Be Heroes, Raya and the Last Dragon, and Snakehead the past few years. And fans of the Disney+ original series Obi-Wan Kenobi probably recognize him from his portrayal of The Fifth Brother during the 2022 miniseries.

Charlize Theron (Cipher)

If anyone deserves the honor of being the main Fast & Furious film series’ chief antagonist, it’s Charlize Theron’s Cipher. Although, in Fast X, the dangerous cyberterrorist who orchestrated much of the events in every movie since the franchise’s sixth installment finds herself in a much different situation.

One of the most well-known members of the Fast X cast, the actress has done a little bit of everything over the years, including win an Academy Award for her performance in Monster, dominated in one of the best action movies of all time with Mad Max: Fury Road, and give brief yet unforgettable portrayals in the 2009 post-apocalyptic film, The Road.

Jordana Brewster (Mia Toretto)

Like Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster goes back to Fast & Furious’ beginnings too, although Mia Toretto didn’t get nearly as much to do, action-wise, in those earlier appearances compared to Dom (her brother) and Brian (her love interest). And while she was only in Fast X for a few scenes, she’s still a key member of the Toretto crew.

Outside of the high-octane film franchise, Brewster has appeared on shows like Lethal Weapon, Magnum P.I., and The Rookie: Feds over the course of the past half-decade, as well as movies like Simulant and The Integrity of Joseph Chambers. 

John Cena (Jakob Toretto)

We had no idea that John Cena’s Jakob Toretto existed until F9, as it was revealed in the movie that Dom blamed his younger brother for the death of their father and forced him to leave town. By the time Fast X comes around, the brothers have since reconciled.

Cena, one of the most prolific wrestlers-turned-actors in recent memory, has been all over the place the past half-decade with great performances in everything from Bumblebee to The Suicide Squad, and several family-friendly comedies in between.   

Jason Statham (Deckard Shaw)

Deckard Shaw started out as a villain in the Fast & Furious franchise, having targeted Han and the rest of Dominic Toretto’s crew to exact revenge for what they did to his brother, Owen Shaw. But over the years, Shaw has become one of the franchise’s best anti-heroes and he even had a strange run-in about his past in the F9 mid-credits scene with Han Lue.

Throughout his career, Statham has led movies like Snatch, the Transporter franchise, The Italian Job, The Meg, and The Expendables, both of which have highly-anticipated sequels on the way. 

Helen Mirren (Magdalene ‘Queenie’ Ellmanson-Shaw)

Deckard wasn’t the only member of the Shaw family around in Fast X, as Helen Mirren was back as Magdalene “Queenie” Shaw. 

A living legend of the acting world, Mirren’s career can only be matched by one other name on this list (but we’ll get to them soon). From award-winning depictions of the late Queen Elizabeth II to wonderful plot-twisty thrillers like The Good Liar, and countless other movies, shows, and stage productions before, during, and since, there’s not much Mirren can’t do. 

Leo Abelo Perry (Brian ‘Little B’ Marcos)

Although Leo Abelo Perry is a newcomer to the Fast & Furious franchise, his character is not. Perry takes over as Brian Marcos, Dominic Toretto’s son with Elena Neves. 

Throughout his career, which only goes back a couple of years, Perry has popped up on shows like Black-ish and movies like Cheaper by the Dozen.

Scott Eastwood (Little Nobody)

In The Fate of the Furious, Kurt Russell’s Mr. Nobody was accompanied by a government agent who received the nickname Little Nobody. This agent was played by Scott Eastwood, and after sitting out the events of F9, he’s back for Fast X. 

The son of Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood, the actor has made a name for himself the past decade or so with appearances in Fury, The Longest Ride, Wrath of Man, and I Want You Back.

Daniela Melchior (Isabel Neves)

Two years after Daniel Melchior captured the hearts (and attention) of comic book fans around the world with her portrayal of Cleo Caro, a.k.a., Ratcatcher 2, in The Suicide Squad, the Portuguese actress landed a brief yet pivotal role in Fast X as Isabel Neves.

Fast X was the second of two major blockbusters to feature Melchior in May 2023, as she also briefly appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 earlier in the month.  

Brie Larson (Tess)

Brie Larson became another MCU actor to land a role in the Fast & Furious franchise with her portrayal of Tess, the daughter of the still missing (or dead) Mr. Nobody. 

Mostly recognized for her portrayal of Carol Danvers in the Captain Marvel movies, Larson has done a little bit of everything over the course of the past decade-and-a-half. This includes tremendous performances in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street, Room (which earned her an Oscar), Kong: Skull Island, and countless others. 

Alan Ritchson (Aimes)

We had another DC actor who came along for the Fast X ride, as Alan Ritchson popped up in the movie as Aimes, the man who stepped in and took over for Mr. Nobody.   

A lot of you may be more familiar with Ritchson for playing the latest incarnation of Jack Reacher for the popular Amazon Prime Video series Reacher. Either way, Fast X gives Ritchson another action-related credit to add to his resume. 

Rita Moreno (Abuelita Toretto) 

 The Fast & Furious franchise is all about family, blood or otherwise. In the former category, another member of the Toretto clan was introduced: Dom, Mia and Jakob’s grandmother, played by Rita Moreno, an alumnus from both film versions of West Side Story.

The talented and beloved EGOT winner has had one of the most successful and prolific careers in show business with unforgettable roles in Singin’ in the Rain, Carnal Knowledge, Slums of Beverly Hills, and countless others. Hell, she even gave an incredible performance on HBO’s gritty prison drama, Oz.

Well, that catches us up with the Fast X cast and some of the places we’ve seen them before. And while we don’t yet know who we’ll be seeing return for the upcoming Fast & Furious 11, there are plenty of 2023 movies to hold us over while we wait for more information. 

A little over two years has passed since legendary director Martin Scorsese made his infamous comment on comic book films. That doesn’t mean this particular pop culture coal fire has died down, as plenty of people still reference and meme the “cinema vs. not-cinema” debate that came from the filmmaker’s candid thoughts on Marvel movies. In the wake of Sony’s Morbius debuting at the box office, someone generated a post of fake praise from Scorsese that was so convincing, it managed to confuse actor Tyrese Gibson into temporarily sharing it as a real deal. 

While the posts themselves were eventually removed from the Morbius star’s social media presence, someone on Twitter had already taken screenshots. Sharing both the fake praise that supposedly came from Martin Scorsese, as well as Tyrese’s boosting of that signal, you can see how someone might have been convinced this was a genuine article. Take a look at both the message, and Gibson’s reaction, included below: 

On first blush, the photoshop job that looks like Martin Scorsese walking the carpet at the Morbius premiere is passable. Though by time an onlooker starts to read the quote attributed to this gag that was probably intended to capitalize on the film’s April Fools Day release date, you can see where it all starts to fall apart. At least, that’s if you're using the critical reaction to Jared Leto’s Marvel adjacent blockbuster as your guideline. 

There was still plenty for Tyrese Gibson and director Daniel Espinoza to celebrate, thanks to their joint effort was the king of the movies this past weekend. As Morbius debuted at #1 with $39.1 million, Sony’s latest Marvel adjacent property showed that the audience will still flock to a new comic offering. While this isn’t anywhere near the record smashing opening that kicked off Spider-Man: No Way Home’s massive theatrical campaign, it’s still a promising sign that the numerous delays may have been worth it.

At the time of this writing, Morbius is sitting at 17% with critics, but has a healthy 70% rating with audiences. That sort of divide will be interesting to keep an eye on this weekend, as the second frame for this bloodsucking hero will see Sonic the Hedgehog 2 presenting the stiffest competition. Even Martin Scorsese is probably sitting on the edge of his seat, waiting to see who wins. Just don’t expect him to give any quotes out about the matter, as he’s probably busy working on his latest project, the Apple original film adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon. 

Morbius continues to feed on the lifeblood of cinema, as it’s exclusively showing in theaters at the moment. To take a look at all of the other movies heading to theaters in the year ahead, please consult the full slate of 2022 movie releases at your earliest convenience. Though if you’re one of those fans who really loves to know when upcoming Marvel movies are on the way, there’s an entirely separate guide for that very subject. 

Is this the end of the road? After over twenty years of Fast and the Furious films, the franchise is getting ready to cap off the blockbuster series with the tenth installment (which will be split up in two parts) from the main series starring Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, among other huge stars. As the upcoming action film gets ready to begin production, cast member Tyrese Gibson has an exciting update. 

Tyrese Gibson joined the Fast family back in 2003 as Roman Pearce in 2 Fast 2 Furious, and the actor has since starred in five other movies from the franchise: Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious and 2021’s most recent installment, F9: The Fast Saga. Just ahead of returning for the tenth film, he shared this on Instagram: 

With a photo of himself next to Vin Diesel and Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson said that he just finished reading the F10 script and “we are officially on some other other shit.” While that could mean a host of things for the Fast and the Furious franchise, the best thing we can draw from that comment is the series is going to continue to go big and get weird with it. 

One fan, @spifftv, inferred that perhaps the Fast movie will include time travel, whereas other people guessed everything from flying to mars, crossing over with the Transformers, going to Heaven or making a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Hey, the sky's the limit! Who knows how the franchise will proceed? It has had to up the stakes for ten movies now. 

We don’t know the plot of the upcoming Fast and Furious movies at this time, but we did recently learn that Aquaman’s Jason Momoa is set to play the bad guy, and The Suicide Squad breakout star Daniela Melchior has also joined the Fast family. We also expect Michelle Rodriguez, Sung Kang and Nathalie Emmanuel to be part of the film alongside Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel, Ludacris and more returning stars. 

It’s also fair to say Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, John Cena’s Jakob Toretto and Charlize Theron’s Cipher could also reprise their Fast roles too. Justin Lin will direct after helming F9 along with the 2009, 2011 and 2013 installments, and initially coming aboard for 2006’s Tokyo Drift. Unfortunately, Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs is not expected to return to the main franchise per a statement from the Rock himself. Vin Diesel has publicly asked Johnson to “show up” for the Fast family in the tenth movie, but we’ll have to wait and see. 

Fast & Furious 10 was initially set to come out in April 2023, but in December, the release date was pushed back to May 19, 2023. Until then, we’ll await more updates on production from the cast and crew. 

It seems like any and everyone in Hollywood is jumping at the chance to be part of the Fast and Furious finale. The family was growing as Fast alum Tyrese Gibson welcomed the newest addition, Jason Momoa, into the franchise. Even The Marvels’ Brie Larson has pitched herself for a possible Fast and Furious movie. There seemed to be another star vying for a spot in Fast 10 and 11 – Uncharted’s Mark Wahlberg. A mini-Max Payne reunion between him and Ludacris sparked speculation over Wahlberg’s involvement in the decades-long franchise.

Wahlberg and the rapper costarred in the 2008 video game movie Max Payne where the Uncharted star took on the title role. The two former co-stars caught up while at one of Mark Wahlberg’s favorite spots – the gym. While the two stars were pumping some iron, Wahlberg teased a possible project between him and Ludacris in the Instagram post below.

Both actors looked quite jacked while catching up at the gym. Mark Wahlberg and Ludacris appear to be in top shape, maybe just enough to do another action flick together. Unfortunately, Wahlberg didn’t announce he was joining the Fast and Furious franchise. But he did leave the door open for another film he and the entertainer could star in next. Both men seemed more than eager to make a Max Payne follow-up a reality.

What Could Be Their Max Payne Follow-Up?

It's been over a decade since Mark Wahlberg and Ludacris starred in Max Payne. Wahlberg went all badass as the beloved video game detective trying to clear his name after being framed for two murders. The rapper played Lt. Bravura, who oversaw bringing him in. The two co-stars played cat and mouse games the entire time, ending in Payne being surrounded by the SWAT Team.

But a lot has changed since Wahlberg and Ludacris played adversaries in the 2008 action film. Maybe this time, they will play on the same side – good or bad. The entertainer has gotten his fill of high-octane action with the Fast and the Furious series. Mark Wahlberg hasn’t been a slouch in that department either with fare like Mile 22, Infinite, and Uncharted. It seemed like the actor was jumping at the opportunity to star alongside the rapper again.

Meeting up at the gym showed both men have worked on their physiques since Max Payne. Maybe it could lead to another action flick or a possible start of another franchise. Ludacris isn't too sad about the Fast and Furious franchise ending, and maybe looking for another franchise to hop into. Wahlberg doesn’t have a current franchise so this could be the perfect opportunity for them to start a new one.

Maybe they could go back and reboot the Max Payne character in a new film. There are still two Max Payne games Mark Wahlberg and Ludacris could revisit or make a completely original story for the characters.

Mark Wahlberg has been pushing to get his take on the superhero genre Six Billion Dollar Man made for some time. If things don't work out, maybe he and Ludacris could jump into the genre as the leads of an original or untapped comic book IP to bring to the big screen. Again, the gym snapshot showed they are physically ready to take on a superhero duo.

At the end of the day, it was nice to see the two former co-stars catch up years after coming head-to-head in the video game movie. If you want to watch all the twists and turns Max Payne dealt with, you can catch the film along with other great movies on HBO Max. Of course, Mark Wahlberg and Ludacris still have other upcoming releases coming out in 2022.

Over the past few years, many have sadly been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in a number of ways. Fast & Furious cast member Tyrese Gibson is among those to feel the effects through a familial connection. His mother, Priscilla Murray Gibson, had been battling COVID and pneumonia as of late and, unfortunately, she’s now passed away. The actor confirmed the news in an emotional social media post, in which he paid tribute to his mom. 

Up to this point, the star had been keeping his social media followers updated on his mother’s condition. Last week, he explained that he’d been told by doctors that nothing else could be done for his mom, who had been in a coma and hospitalized in the ICU since February 5. In his Instagram post from this past Monday, Tyrese Gibson addressed fans and sweetly memorialized his late mom: 

The sweet message also drew a number of responses from some of the star’s celebrity friends. Rival-turned-friend friend Dwayne Johnson, who knows what it’s like to lose a parent, expressed his condolences in a sweet message in the comments:

Snoop Dogg, who lost his own mother last October, also lent his support to his longtime friend. In his own post, he offered to visit Tyrese Gibson so that he could “pray with” him and give him a hug. You can see more of these messages as well as Gibson’s video, which shows him holding his mom’s hand, down below: 

In the past, the Transformers alum has always been one to show love to his fellow stars and shout out those who’ve created positive change. So it’s great to see that he has so much support during this difficult time. One can only imagine the mixture of emotions he's feeling right now, but it’s lovely how he was able to translate them into that post. 

We here at CinemaBlend extend our thoughts to Tyrese Gibson and his family at this time.

The global pandemic has been rough for a lot of people. It’s been so far reaching that odds are if it hasn’t impacted you personally then you probably know somebody who has been. And now Tyrese Gibson has found himself in just about the worst possible place. He’s at his mother’s bedside as she fights for her life, suffering from pneumonia brought on by covid. 

Tyrese first posted a few days ago, letting people know that his mother was currently in hospital. He’d already been by her side for some time before he let the public know. He asked for prayers from his fans, both in the form of comments and actual prayers, letting everybody know her name, Pricilla Murray, so they can pray for her.

Unfortunately, it’s not looking too good. Yesterday Tyrese posted an update to Instagram, informing us that at this point the doctors have done everything that they can to help her. It seems at this point it’s just a case of waiting to see if it has been enough. Tyrese certainly is not losing faith.

It’s got to be hard. Losing a parent, while it’s something we all know is going to happen one day, is not easy to deal with under the best of circumstances. And with this being due to the same virus that has ravaged the world for two years, it has to be even harder. Tyrese has found himself in the place where a terribly high number of people have been, but that doesn’t make it easier.

In the era of the vaccine, covid hasn't been quite as terrible in most cases. We've seen stars from Jason Momoa to Hillary Duff get diagnosed with the illness. For the most part they seem to have made it through with few if any long term consequences. But the elderly are still at significant risk if they catch the virus. And we do still lose people, singer Meat Loaf recently died after contracting covid. And he's far from the only one we've lost. 

But as noted, Tyrese will not stop fighting. The doctors may have done all they can do, but he’s still at his mother’s bedside, asking her to fight, and his fans are right there praying that she’ll come out the other side of this. 

At this point it seems the situation is just in the wait and see stage. The doctors have done what they can, and it’s certainly possible that she could begin to improve if the work they’ve done is enough. More than likely another Tyrese update will come and it will either have significantly good news, or not.

Things can change so quickly. It wasn’t that long ago that Tyrese was focused on making movies, and looking forward to working with Jason Momoa in Fast and Furious 10, which is supposed to be starting production soon. Our prayers are with Tyrese and his mother as well. We’re hoping for good news.  

The next entry in the Fast & Furious franchise will be, as far as we're aware, the end. Or more specifically, the next two entries, since Fast & Furious 10 is set to be split into two films. It will mark the end of an era for the “family” but before they drive off into the sunset, they’ll bring at least one more big name along for the ride. It was recently revealed that Jason Momoa is likely joining the franchise, and Tyrese Gibson for one couldn’t be happier.

While the official word is only that Jason Momoa is “in talks” to join the next Fast & Furious movie, when news of those things leak, that frequently means that agreements are close to being signed and that there are just details to work out. It’s possible things could still fall through, but that seems unlikely. And Jason Momoa has at least one current member of the franchise in his corner, as Tyrese Gibson is already welcoming Momoa to the family, 

Of course, Jason Momoa is only looking like he’ll be joining the family in the broadest sense, as the current reports indicate he’s joining Fast & Furious 10 to play the movie’s villain, or more specifically one of them. One assumes Charlize Theron’s Cipher, who has survived the last couple movies, and is set to get her own spinoff, will be back once again to try and take down Dom and company. 

Of course, with two movies left to be made at least, the possibility still exists that we could see Momoa’s character, whoever it is, start out in the next movie as a villain and become a member of the team in the final installment. That’s what happened with Jason Statham’s character, and sort of happened with Luke Evans as well. F9 teased that John Cena’s character might join the heroes before that movie even ended, so it’s possible the same could happen here.

The addition of Jason Momoa certainly makes for a star studded film, since we’re largely expecting that most everybody else who has been part of the franchise previously will be back. At this point the only actors who seem to be off the table are Dwayne Johnson, who has stated quite plainly that he won’t be back, and Gal Gadot, whose character Gisele appears to be the Uncle Ben of the Fast & Furious universe, the one character who is not allowed to be brought back to life. 

With F9 being one of the biggest movies of 2021 despite the pandemic issues, Fast and Furious 10 is set to be a massive film when part one drops in May of 2023. Filming is expected to begin soon.  

When it comes to Michael Bay movies, there a few things you can count on. They always include insane action, the sort of action specifically designed to impress with as much style as possible. Also, the main characters are also impossibly good looking people most of the time, and the camera is there to make them look as good looking as possible. A lot of time men show up with no shirts on just so you know how good looking they are, but now Michael Bay has turned the camera on himself, and he's getting some great comments from friends and fans, including Tyrese Gibson, who calls the result "bayham."

For the uninitiated, "bayhem" is the sort of mayhem that is frequently created in movies directed by Michael Bay. His action is so specific to himself that is has gained it's own name. However, in a comment on Michael Bay's Instagram, where the director shows up shirtless to start his own summer vacation after wrapping his latest movie, Tyrese Gibson has coined a new term. Gibson called this image "bayham" which is apparently what you call it when Michael Bay is looking like a hunk of meat.

It's no "Will Smith running toward the camera in Bad Boys," but yeah, this looks like "bayham." I mean, I guess if you have 400,000 Instagram followers and you look decent with your shirt off, you might as well use that for what it's worth.

Summer may be wrapping up for most of us, but Michael Bay is just getting started on his summer vacation, as he's been spending the last few months on his movie Ambulance. The films stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a couple of robbers who steal an ambulance when their heist goes bad. The movie was shooting earlier this year and attendees at the most recent CinemaCon got a look at it, but it sounds like the movie is wrapped up and ready to go, though it isn't set for release until next year.

Normally we wouldn't see a movie like this completed quite so far out from its release, the movie doesn't even have a set release date yet, but normal isn't exactly a word that means much any more when it comes to film production. While movies are still being made, they're taking longer, and they're still only being released at a snail's pace compared to what we're used to seeing. The result is that we're seeing movies completed long before they end up getting released.

It's possible this could mean a longer than usual vacation for Michael Bay. While he's got his name attached to a number of movies as a producer, the only directing gig he has on the horizon is Robocalypse, a film that has been in development hell for years, and thus there's no guarantee it's actually going to happen.

The Fast family returns in the latest adrenaline-charged installment with a never-before-seen Director’s Cut of F9. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is releasing F9 on Digital September 7, 2021, featuring both the theatrical cut and extended Director’s Cut. Fast Saga fans whose favorite characters are Roman and Tej are in luck because the Director’s Cut has additional moments with these characters played by Tyrese and Ludacris.

Ludacris and Tyrese have always been two of my favorite members of The Fast Saga. Ludacris’s Tej being our tech genius and voice of reason while Tyrese’s Roman is often the comic relief and the realist stating “we’re going to die” are an unlikely pair of friends that work so well together. I couldn’t imagine the franchise without them. Check out the clip below from Justin Lin’s Director’s Cut where the two find a vault full of cash.

I just love these two together! Tyrese has a smile that lights up the room. It’s impossible to see that guy happy without getting excited along with him. Ludacris has the best comedic and dramatic timing and someone needs to cast this man in some more roles, stat. Additional footage is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to F9’s home release.

There’s so much more where that came from with Justin Lin back in the director’s chair (Lin also helmed the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth installments of the series). The producer, co-writer, and director provides a feature commentary on both the theatrical and Director’s cuts. With the purchase of F9, fans will also get more than an hour of exclusive bonus content featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the gravity-defying stunts and nitro-charged cars, a gag reel, and even more justice for Han (played by Sung Kang).

Additional F9 bonus features on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital include F9: All In where the cast and crew provide an intimate look at how F9 propels this epic franchise to even greater heights, Practically Fast which goes behind the scenes with Justin Lin and his team as they shoot as many stuns as they can in-camera and practically, and so much more. Aspiring directors and film fans will enjoy A Day On Set with Justin Lin, a featurette following Lin for a day providing an inside look at the demanding job of a movie producer.

Shifting Priorities is a bonus feature that takes us through the evolution of the characters over 20+ years as well as the actors that portray them. Speaking of characters, F9 introduced fans to Dom’s brother Jakob, played by John Cena, and the home release includes a featurette titled John Cena: Supercar Superfan, as well. Cena is a real-life car expert and this content is a true fan’s look at some of the rarest and most expensive automobiles in the world. 

The blockbuster film F9 has generated more than $600 million worldwide and now fans can own the global box-office phenomenon on Digital September 7, 2021, and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 21, 2021, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Keep an eye on CinemaBlend’s 2021 DVD release calendar for when you can own all of your favorite films.

Most would agree that Tyrese Gibson has had an incredibly successful career. The entertainment veteran originally started his career in the music industry before making the jump to film and television. In the years since, the actor has landed roles in some high-profile productions, yet his journey hasn’t been perfect. He’s earned plenty of roles in his time, but he’s also lost some, which Gibson partially attributes to his skin complexion. Now, Gibson is getting candid about his experiences as a dark-skinned man in Hollywood and losing out on opportunities to actors like Terrence Howard. He’s also crediting stars like Lupita Nyong’o and Viola Davis for helping to ring in a wave of change.

Actors have varied experiences in Hollywood for a myriad of reasons, ranging from their age and gender to their race and sexual orientation. Over the past few decades, Tyrese Gibson appears to have seen the ups and downs that come with being a dark-skinned actor. While speaking with The Lemonade Stand, Gibson illustrated his point by reflecting on his pre-Hollywood life and describing an experience with Terrence Howard, who he recently worked with one the upcoming film, The System:

What Tyrese Gibson is referring to is the top of colorism, an inherent bias against people with darker skin tones. It’s been a major topic of discussion in the entertainment industry, particularly over the past several years. And what’s particularly sad about colorism is that much of the prejudice can come from people of the same ethnic group, which seems to line up with Gibson’s own experiences.

Most would agree that there’s still plenty of work to be done when it comes to colorism, but progress is gradually being made. Tyrese Gibson explained that he sees certain A-list stars as examples of how Hollywood is starting to embrace artists with darker skin tones:

It’s true that Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o have been shining examples of dark-skinned actors who are thriving in the Hollywood landscape. Their Oscars and massive film credits are a testament to that. But Tyrese Gibson has also served as a beacon of hope in this regard. He has, after all, had roles in some of the highest grossing franchises of all time (Transformers and Fast & Furious), and he continues to work on a consistent basis.

One can’t help but appreciate Tyrese Gibson’s candor on the subject of colorism and how it relates to Hollywood. Hopefully, discussions like these become more commonplace and ultimately serve as a small step in sparking some change in the entertainment world.

Although we reunited with Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s Dekcard Shaw in 2019 for Hobbs & Shaw, until last month, we hadn’t seen Dominic Toretto and his gang in action since 2017’s The Fate of the Furious. That has finally been rectified, as after previously being scheduled to come out in April 2020, F9 finally hit theaters on June 25. A little over one month later, Tyrese Gibson, who’s been playing Roman Pearce since 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious, has sounded off about how pleased he is at the ninth Fast & Furious movie’s box office performance.

F9 has officially crossed the $600 million mark worldwide, specifically standing at $641.7 million as of this writing. Considering how much of the theatrical industry is still being impacted by the pandemic, Tyrese Gibson said on Instagram that the movie making this much money during such troubling times means a lot to him. You can read his comments in full below.

It is worth noting that F9 is the lowest-grossing movie in the Fast & Furious franchise since 2011’s Fast Five, which pulled in $626.1 million worldwide. However, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious and Hobbs & Shaw all had the benefit of opening at times when a virus wasn’t impacting everyday life. Theaters are certainly in a better position now than they were for the majority of 2020, but turnout isn’t as high as it was during the Before Times. So when looked at through that lens, it’s understandable why Tyrese Gibson is happy with how things have gone for F9 so far.

To be sure, if F9 had managed to come out before 2020 or had been held for after the pandemic had subsided, it’s possible it could have hit the $1 billion mark, just like Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious did. However, F9 didn’t wrap filming until November 2019, so a pre-2020 release was not happening, and since the movie had already been delayed over a year, it’s hardly shocking that Universal Pictures wanted to get it on the calendar once theaters started reopening, even at reduced capacity and with other health and safety measures in place.

In any case, F9 is now the third highest-grossing movie of 2021, ahead of Hollywood offerings like Godzilla vs. Kong (4th) and Black Widow (5th), and trailing behind Chinese releases Hi, Mom (1st) and Detective Chinatown 3 (2nd). Furthermore, along with it still playing in theaters, F9 is also now available for digital rental, so that’ll add a little extra change to Universal’s coffers. There’s been no word yet on when the movie’s full home media release will unfold, though sometime in October or November at the latest sounds about right.

Now that F9 is accessible to the public, there are only two more main Fast & Furious movies to look forward to, though there’s also Hobbs & Shaw 2 and a female-led spinoff in development to further expand the franchise. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on those projects, and don’t forget to read our F9 review and browse through our 2021 release schedule.

Following the events starting with Fast Five, it’s kind of hard to imagine the Fast and the Furious franchise without Tyrese Gibson. Yet, there was a short stretch including The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift and the fourth film in the series, Fast & Furious, where the actor wasn’t in the franchise at all. Well, Tyrese Gibson has now explained how the The Fast and Furious franchise was done with him until Paul Walker helped bring him back.

The series was actually going through an interesting transitional period after 2 Fast 2 Furious, which is where the Baby Boy star made his debut alongside other series mainstay, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. It is interesting to hear though that Tyrese Gibson wasn’t considered for the re-branded, more action-heavy version of the franchise until Paul Walker went to bat for him. In a recent EW's Binge podcast, Gibson had this to say about what happened, calling it a "fight" to get him back into the franchise.

It likely helped that Tyrese Gibson had worked so hard to make sure his Fast character Roman was nothing like the one that Vin Diesel had crafted in the first movie and honed years later in the franchise. The actor says that was an intentional choice and that he wanted to bring more "humor" to the character during his introduction, noting the thought was...

I really love this behind-the-scenes kind of stuff, because I had no idea that it was a “fight” to get Tyrese Gibson back into the franchise. It is well known that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Gibson didn’t get along for a while, especially when it came to the side-story, Hobbs & Shaw. It was here that Gibson thought that Dwayne Johnson wasn’t being fair to the Fast and the Furious (in Vin Diesel’s voice) family by doing a side project without most of the cast. But their feud now looks to be over, so everything is good on that front.

Overall this new information is really interesting because this took place before the whole Rock/Tyrese beef that ended up going very public. I actually kind of wonder what direction the series could have gone in if they didn’t bring Gibson and Ludacris back? One of the main reasons why Fast Five -- which is arguably considered the best movie in the long-running franchise -- is so good is because of the huge cast of characters, with Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris included. To think of them not in the series after the fourth film almost seems like sacrilege.

But what do you think? Could you even fathom the upcoming Fast and Furious 10 without the one and only Roman Pearce? Sound off in the poll below!

This poll is no longer available.

Now that F9 is playing in theaters, there are only two movies left to look forward to within the main Fast & Furious film series. However, the franchise as a whole will keep going with spinoffs like Hobbs & Shaw 2, and in recent weeks, there’s even been talk about the potential of mashing Fast & Furious with fellow Universal Pictures property Jurassic World. Tyrese Gibson, a.k.a. Roman Pearce in the Fast & Furious universe, is game for such a crossover, and now Ludacris, who plays Tej Parker, has shared his thoughts on the idea.

Just to be clear, Universal Pictures has in no way said it’s exploring bringing the Fast & Furious and Jurassic World franchises together, let alone greenlit the project. And from Ludacris’ perspective, that’s for the best, as he doesn’t find this crossover appealing. As the actor said to guest host Wanda Sykes on Jimmy Kimmel Live!:

The Fast & Furious franchise has certainly become increasingly ridiculous over the last decade, most recently exemplified with Idris Elba’s Brixton being a cybernetically-enhanced super soldier in Hobbs & Shaw, and F9 seeing Roman and Tej blasting off into space. It’s a far cry from the days when these movies were focused on street racing and small-time heists, but even with the laws of physics being continually ignored in the Fast & Furious world nowadays, it’s still a big leap to bring dinosaurs into the equation. Evidently count Ludacris among the people who’s not interested in seeing this happen.

Honestly, it’s fitting that Ludacris disagrees with Tyrese Gibson about the prospect of a Fast & Furious and Jurassic World crossover considering how much grief Tej gives Roman over his ideas in the Fast & Furious movies. But while the logistics of bringing these franchises together would be all kinds of strange (no doubt involving a portal between realities), it’s reasonable to assume the crossover would make a lot of money given how commercially well Fast & Furious and Jurassic World perform on their own. Narrative sense be damned, I see this blockbuster easily surpassing $1 billion and maybe even hitting $2 billion.

For now though, Fast & Furious and Jurassic World will remain separate, but at least fans of both franchises will be able to watch new installments in the coming years. Jurassic World: Dominion opens in theaters on June 10, 2022, and while Fast & Furious 10 Part 1 and Part 2 don’t have release dates yet, the back-to-back productions are expected to begin in January 2022.

F9 is blazing through theaters, winning the Fourth of July weekend as the box office hits a massive milestone. The power of family has not only kept the franchise going, but it also has spawned one of the funniest recent viral memes featuring the Fast & Furious patriarch himself, Vin Diesel. Now, in the midst of the hype, the fan-favorite duo of Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson have thanked the fans after F9’s milestone at the box office.

Tyrese Gibson’s Roman and Ludacris’ Tej were both introduced in 2 Fast 2 Furious and have been integral parts of the Fast family ever since. The duo has developed comedic chemistry, which ultimately led to some of the funniest moments in F9. After the movie hit the $500 million mark at the box office, Ludacris was the first of the two to take to Instagram to thank the fans:

Ludacris' excitement is more than understandable. It’s a huge accomplishment for both international and domestic box office, proving that the movie-going experience can still generate tons of money even amidst a slowly reopening public. It's safe to say that Fast fans will continue to support the franchise until Universal stops making the movies, which may or may not happen at this point. While Ludacris' sentiments were nice enough, Tyrese Gibson's comment on the post was also sweet:

Having been members of the storied franchise for so long, Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson are more than aware of the effect its had on the world. For instance, Ludacris recently had the best response after the Department of Transportation nodded at The Fast & Furious for a viral road warning sign. All in all, both actors are clearly super invested in the franchise and, at this point, they even have ideas about where the Fast series should go next.

Aside from the box office, Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson hit a major milestone within F9 itself, as their characters became the first of the Fast family to go to space. The pair exited Earth’s atmosphere in a Pontiac Fiero with a rocket attached to the back. Director Justin Lin actually wanted to do the stunt practically and, while he ultimately couldn’t, the scene was no less amazing for it. There's plenty for the Roman and Tej duo to do next, but it’s going to be hard to top their space trip.

Despite the sheer popularity of the franchise, the end does seem near for the film series. F9 sets up the endgame for the franchise, and it raises a ton of questions about what’s next. One thing is for sure: the Fast franchise will keep breaking records despite the odds and, hopefully, these milestones will continue to be accompanied by love from stars like Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson.

The Fast & Furious franchise has been around for decades now, and it’s success can partially be attributed to the excellent, on-screen chemistry of the cast. However, things haven’t always been a cakewalk behind the scenes. The franchise has seen a couple of feuds among the stars, with one being between Tyrese Gibson and The Rock. The situation got pretty heated after a while, but it looks like things have finally subsided. Now, on the heels of the release of F9, Gibson has opened up about the funny way he and Dwayne Johnson are “reconnecting.”

For those who need to be brought up to speed, the feud between Dwayne Johnson and Tyrese Gibson began in earnest when Universal Pictures gave the greenlight to Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw, which was headlined by The Rock and fellow franchise alum Jason Statham. While this was exciting for fans, Gibson took issue with the fact that Johnson was cutting off from the main film series to do his own franchise and that the spinoff would delay production on the ninth installment of the parent series. From here, the two engaged in a back-and-forth, until Gibson indicated last year that he and Johnson had buried the hatchet.

Tyrese Gibson’s recent comments on The Ellen DeGeneres Show would seem to indicate that he and Dwayne Johnson are so tight that they’re currently playing a fun game. And based on the competitive nature of the two stars, this seems to be pretty on brand for them:

This sounds like one of the most intense games of telephone tag I’ve ever heard. Still, it’s definitely a more positive way to let out your feelings than calling out someone on social media. During his interview, Tyrese Gibson also showed off an impression of The Rock that’s pretty spot-on. You can check it out in the video down below:

Although it can be difficult to do, mending fences is almost always a good thing. This is especially beneficial in the realm of Hollywood, where feuds can spill out into the public at large and potentially affect business transactions.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the only Fast and Furious feud The Rock has been involved in, as he and franchise guru Vin Diesel have also had a bit of a beef. But like the squabble with Tyrese Gibson, this one seems to have calmed down as well.

The stars of the Fast & Furious franchise are going to need to stick together, especially as they prepare to close out the main franchise. Let’s hope that last ride is a smooth one that ends with the cast being as close a family as their characters are.

Fast and Furious 9 is finally in theaters and has already broken a pandemic box office record, putting it on course for an impressive opening weekend. F9 is not only important for the Fast franchise: it’s important for the future of movie theaters as a whole, proving that the cinema is still alive and well after such a turbulent year due to the pandemic. F9 pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with the powers of muscle cars and family and in the process, sends Tyrese Gibson into space in a sequence that director Justin Lin wanted to shoot practically. Gibson is ready to go even further, though, and, as the Jurassic World crossover hype builds, the Fast actor wants Fast and Furious to merge with another major franchise.

With The Fast and Furious franchise upping the ante with each successive film, it's only going to get harder to bring in fresh elements to the film series. The family has gone from street racing car thieves to pseudo superheroes over 20 years, morphing into a unit that would honestly give The Avengers problems. Lately, ideas for a Jurassic World crossover have been floating around, but Tyrese Gibson thinks there is another franchise the Fast movies should merge with first, telling Comicbook.com:

Tyrese Gibson says he doesn’t know anything about a possible Jurassic World crossover but, in his opinion, Transformers would be the better fit for a merger. The actor makes the obvious point of saying cars that turn into robots are a more logical transition than dinosaurs right off the back; they can come afterward.

Tyrese Gibson starred in the original run of Transformers films, so he is familiar with the franchise. However, the Transformers franchise sits at Paramount, and The Fast and Furious franchise would more than likely crossover with fellow Universal franchises like Jurassic World. The idea of Dominic Toretto and his crew meeting dinosaurs may sound wild, but even Jurassic director Colin Trevorrow seems excited about the possibilities.

While promoting F9, Tyrese Gibson has gotten candid about how hard it’s been to continue working on the franchise without Paul Walker. Thankfully, the actor's legacy is fully honored in F9 and, at the end of the movie, there's a cool treat for fans. F9’s ending sets up the final two chapters of the Fast Saga, and the end-credits scene just adds more excitement and speculation as to what’s next for the Toretto family.

Hopefully, we can see Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham’s return in the 10th installment in the Fast and Furious franchise. But while we wait to see what happens in the final two Fast movies, we can also speculate as to whether or not the franchise will crossover with any other big-name properties, even those belonging to other studios. It's hard to deny how interesting it would be to see Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto stand alongside a dinosaur or Optimus Prime.

From the moment the Fast and Furious franchise shifted focus from street racing to having its protagonists repeatedly save the world and be thrust into outlandish action sequences, it was only a matter of time before space travel entered the equation. That day has finally come with F9, with the events of the soon-to-arrive movie requiring Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce and Ludacris’ Tej Parker to leave Earth and head out into the cosmos for some reason.

How will this be accomplished? Well, in the Fast and Furious world, evidently all it takes is strapping a rocket engine to a Pontiac Fiero, and then having the car blast off from the top of a plane mid-flight. But before we see this wild space launch unfold on the big screen, Tyrese Gibson has given fans a closer look at the Pontiac Fiero that will boldly go where no car has gone before. Take a look!

TikToker Daniel Mac stopped by one of the Universal Studios stages to hang out with Tyrese Gibson, who quickly showed him the Pontiac Fiero F9 will prominently feature. However, then the actor “realized” it probably isn’t a good idea for Mac to hang around there too long, as the engine’s fumes might “mess” him up. Luckily for Mac, Gibson was willing to give him a parting gift… only it wasn’t the Fiero, but a golf cart priced at $7500. Hey, it’s better than nothing!

As if seeing Tyrese Gibson showing off the spruced-up Pontiac Fiero wasn’t enough, Daniel Mac also headed over to the “clubhouse” to meet with Sung Kang, who’s finally returning as Han Lue after being absent since 2013’s Fast and Furious 6 (minus archival footage used of him in Furious 7). Kang was leaned up against Han’s Toyota Supra, which isn’t capable of space travel, but is still impressive nonetheless. But if there’s one thing to take away from this video besides that putting a jet/rocket engine on a Pontiac Fiero should unquestionably not be tried at home, it’s that Kang does not share his snacks, so don’t even go there.

You’ll have to see F9 on the big screen to learn the reason why Roman and Tej need to travel to outer space in a Pontiac Fiero, but we have Tokyo Drift alum Earl Hu, reprised by Jason Tobin, for turning the car into a space vessel. While I doubt the Fiero will make it to the moon, now that outer space is accessible territory in the Fast and Furious franchise, it feels like the sky’s the limit on what can be tackled next. Could time travel be brought in? Will dinosaurs start running around? With two more movies left in the main film series, plus Hobbs & Shaw 2 and other potential spinoffs on the way, I can’t wait to see how this universe keeps finding new ways to break the rules of reality.

F9 arrives in theaters this Friday, June 25, though you can read CinemaBlend’s review of the movie now. Or, if you’d rather learn what movies are still coming up this year, head to our 2021 release schedule.

It’s no secret that the Fast family holds the franchise dear to their hearts and would even jump at the opportunity to keep the Fast Saga going long into the future. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that even before F9 has been released in theaters, they are already chatting about where they’re going in F10. And apparently, Tyrese Gibson and co-star Ludacris have one big idea for Fast and Furious 10 that would take the Fast family somewhere they haven’t gone before.

Apparently Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris want to take the Fast Saga to a new country. And during a recent interview SiriusXM, Gibson revealed the sweet reason he and his co-star would like the franchise to make this move. Here it is in the actor’s own words:

The Fast Franchise has taken Tyrese Gibson’s character and the rest of the Fast family all over the world, and the upcoming F9 even takes two of the characters into the ultimate frontier. The journey the franchise has taken over the course of the nine movies is amazing, and adding the stunning landscape of South Africa, with its beautiful scenery meshing with the franchise’s sleek cars, would certainly be exciting.

Space isn’t the only place that F9 will take viewers, either. In the same interview, Tyrese Gibson touches on the fact that they went to Jordana Brewster’s mother’s home country of Brazil. Gibson went on to mention what the experience was like for his co-star and compared it with a possible venture to South Africa. Here it is in the actor's own words:

As cool as it would be to see the Fast family racing through the beautiful landscape of South Africa, wherever they go in Fast and Furious 10 is bound to be pretty epic. That is, if they can top F9 (which critics are saying could be difficult)! The latest in the Fast Saga, F9, has been crushing the box office in other parts of the world but, here in the US, you'll finally be able to check it out when it officially roars into theaters this Friday, June 25.

Fast & Furious 9 is gearing up for its domestic release and has already pushed past worldwide milestones, and franchise stars Vin Diesel and Tyrese Gibson couldn’t be happier. This was evidenced by them sending out a message, thanking fans around the world for their support. F9 will raise the stakes once again and, judging by the trailers, there will be even more cool stunts in this long-awaited installment. But as the film approaches, Gibson is also getting candid about how hard it’s been to continue on without late co-star Paul Walker.

After Paul Walker’s passing in 2013, the Fast franchise gave the actor and his character a proper send-off in an emotional tribute in 2015's Furious 7. Ultimately, he franchise has managed to keeping moving without Walker, who had been a central figure since the franchise's beginnings. Tyrese Gibson has never shied away from speaking about the void that Walker left and, while speaking with EW, he talked about the late performer and his feelings towards the franchise's seventh installment, saying:

Tyrese Gibson says that Furious 7 was an incredibly tough experience. While he likely glad that the film was successful, the actor seems to have more sad memories than good ones because Paul Walker’s sudden death. This could be especially hard for him when considering that he and Walker were already having their typical fun on that set before his passing. Gibson concludes by saying that once Furious 7 came out, it was very painful to watch, and it’s not a film he has revisited since.

Tyrese Gibson and Paul Walker both starred in the second movie in the fast franchise, 2 Fast 2 Furious. Tyrese played Roman Pearce, an old friend of Paul Walker's Brian O’Conner. The John Singleton-directed sequel was a showcase for the duo and provided some of the most fun moments in the entire franchise. This was mainly due to the on-screen chemistry Gibson and Walker had.

Recently, Jordana Brewster also commented on Paul Walker’s continued legacy in F9 and shared a story about how Walker helped her through a major stunt. Paul Walker’s brother, who helped create the tribute and send-off in Furious 7, has also acknowledged his brother's continued impact on the franchise. With this,Tyrese Gibson and the rest of the Fast family are definitely keeping Walker's legacy alive in more ways than one.

F9 hits theaters on June 25th and promises to do everything the series does best. It'll be interesting to see how the story will pay tribute to Paul Walker's character in the new film, but, however it chooses to reference his Brian O'Conner, it’s sure to be memorable and respectful.

F9 won't open domestically for nearly a month, but the movie has already bowed in many international territories, including once and future box office powerhouse China, and that means that while F9 is not currently the number one movie in America, it is the number one movie in the world. The cast of F9, from Vin Diesel to Tyrese Gibson to Michelle Rodriguez, and also director Justin Lin are thanking those global movie audiences for the film's early success.

In a video posted to Instagram the Fast and Furious "family" thanked all the people that have helped make F9 a hit already. The film has already grossed over $160 million around the world, and while that's not a massive number on its own, $135 million of that has come from success in China. Which is a solid number for a weekend opening, and without any major competition either there or here, it's enough to make it the biggest movie in the world right now.

While the $135 million opening in China doesn't set records for the Fast and Furious franchise it actually is the number two opening for the franchise in the country, which is pretty impressive considering we're talking about a movie that is being released just as the world is starting to show signs of coming out the other side of a global pandemic. Box office numbers show not only that people want to see the new Fast and Furious movie in theaters, but that they want to see it enough to go out and see it now.

Every member of the core cast thanks viewers around the world for making F9 the success that it is. The movie has already propelled the franchise as a whole past the $6 billion mark. Many of the cast also added additional comments to the post on Vin Diesel's Instagram, including Tyrese Gibson, who is so excited about thanking everybody who made F9 possible that he forgot to proofread his post.

All this is certainly a good sign for when F9 gets released domestically at the end of next month. There is clearly pent up demand for going to the movies here as well, and F9 will be the biggest franchise movie to date to open post-pandemic when it does. One expects that people will return to theaters to see this one. And by the end of June movie theater capacity in many places could even be at or very close to full, giving the movie a real chance to put up box office numbers we would have seen before everything fell apart.

During this season of The Masked Singer, the guesses surrounding Robopine were all over the place. This was due to the strange clues the contestant gave to the audience and the show's judges. Everything from his age to his background kept people guessing. Unfortunately, Robopine’s guessing game ended when he was umasked as singer-actor Tyrese Gibson. After his elimination, Gibson discussed his wild strategy for hiding his identity.

During his Masked Singer tenure, Tyrese Gibson did everything possible to throw people off the trail. Until his unmasking, the only concrete information was that he was a male R&B singer. But that alone ran deep as seen in the judges’ guesses throughout the season. So Gibson’s unconventional clues worked, and the singer recently told People about his unique strategy:

Tyrese Gibson’s identity-hiding strategy was genius. As Masked Singer judge Ken Jeong pointed out, the actor-singer played the game better than anyone else this season. Mixing some untruths with obscure real-life facts played out perfectly for him. As Gibson stated, his fanbase knew pretty much every detail of his life after reading his two best-selling books. His strategy made for an exciting run from week to week. Having been a viewer before participating in the show, the multihyphenate entertainer knew he needed more than a golden voice to carry him through the competition. At the end of the day, he had one of the best strategies I’ve seen over five seasons.

Unfortunately, Tyrese Gibson’s last clue package finally gave away his identity. The entertainer admitted to not wanting to include his late Fast and Furious co-star Paul Walker on The Masked Singer. Gibson knew including his late friend would give him away immediately, but not paying tribute to Paul Walker would’ve been a missed opportunity.

But in the end, it wasn’t the Paul Walker clue but Tyrese Gibson’s sultry, soulful voice that gave away his identity. Like previous contestants Bobby Brown and Tamera Mowry-Housley, his voice harkened back to a different era of music.

While Tyrese Gibson did pose a threat, he was a longshot for the Final 3, given the incredible lineup of contestants such as Black Swan and Yeti. But it was nice to see Gibson grace the public with his voice once more. There’s still some major talent left in the competition, so check out The Masked Singer Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.

Spoiler alert: if you haven’t seen Episode 10 of The Masked Singer, Robopine’s identity will be revealed in this article.

Season 5 of The Masked Singer has been packed with top-notch talent, and it was all on full display as the show featured the Spicy 6 finalists. Unfortunately, that means plenty of great singers are being picked off one by one. Just as it went with the double elimination revealing singer Bobby Brown and actress Tamera Mowry-Housley ahead of the sing-along ep, the soulful fan-favorite crooner Robopine was given the boot. After his surprising elimination, Robopine revealed the clue he didn’t want to be included during the Fox singing competition.

Much like every reveal this season, Robopine’s identity had everyone, including the judges, constantly guessing, with the judges bouncing between prominent singer-actors like Terrance Howard and their favorite always-wrong guess, Jamie Foxx. But it was Nicole Scherzinger and guest judge Chrissy Metz who hit the nail on the head with Robopine, figuring out that it was multihyphenate entertainer and Fast & Furious franchise vet Tyrese Gibson. While he'd thrown the audience off all season with his bizarre clues, his name was indeed floating out there, and it was a pretty blatant Paul Walker nod in his final clue package that gave him away. Turns out the F9 star wasn't super into using such an obvious detail, telling EW:

Including that mournful information in his clue package is almost definitely what gave away Tyrese Gibson’s identity. The loss of his Fast and Furious co-star left an indelible mark on the singer-actor and their co-stars, with arguably no one else in the cast sporting a voice as polished as Gibson's. With that said, it was a sweet and vulnerable moment for the entertainer to share that with the viewers, and even though it wasn't the ideal situation for Gibson, acknowledging Paul Walker was a nice moment for any Fast and Furious fan. Even on a show as ridiculous as The Masked Singer.

Tyrese Gibson gave more insight into his Paul Walker moment from his last clue package, saying that from the very beginning, he felt his tribute would give him away. Gibson said about the touching hint:

Tyrese Gibson’s Paul Walker tribute might’ve been obvious, but it was arguably necessary. Gibson couldn’t have told his true backstory without including some kind of dedication his friend. The Fast and Furious franchise bonded them together in both life and death. Despite his passing, Walker’s impact on the franchise can still be felt by its cast and fanbase, as seen in Gibson’s hint.

But looking at the competition, Tyrese Gibson was a long shot to make it to the Final 3 given the bonkers talent of contestants such as Black Swan and Piglet. If you want to see who gets eliminated next, check out The Masked Singer every Wednesday night on Fox at 8:00 pm ET.

The Fast & Furious movies focus on a group of protagonists who are a tight-knit family, but that doesn’t mean everything has been peachy with the actors themselves when the cameras weren’t rolling. There have been several Fast & Furious-related feuds over the years, among them being the harsh words exchanged between Dwayne Johnson and Tyrese Gibson. However, according to Gibson, his feud with The Rock is officially over.

Three years after things got particularly heated between the two actors, Tyrese Gibson recently revealed that he and Dwayne Johnson have buried the proverbial hatchet. While shooting down some humorous spinoff ideas for his Fast & Furious character, Roman Pearce, in an interview, Gibson said the following:

For those of you who haven’t kept up with Tyrese Gibson and Dwayne Johnson’s feud, it kicked up a few notches several months after The Fate of the Furious’ release. When Universal decided to delay Fast & Furious 9, a.k.a. F9, in favor of churning out Hobbs & Shaw, the spinoff centered on Johnson’s Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, Gibson made it quite clear on social media he wasn’t pleased with this. Gibson accused The Rock of trying to make the franchise about him, and putting his needs above the rest of the Fast family’s.

Tyrese Gibson eventually had a “heart to heart” with one of Dwayne Johnson’s associates, and he apologized for his meltdowns on social media. For a few years, everything was calm between the two men, but then the feud reignited shortly after Hobbs & Shaw’s release last year. Gibson threw some shade at Johnson over the Fast & Furious spinoff not raking in as much money as some of the more recent Fast & Furious movies have. For his part, Johnson expressed disappointment about how his relationship with Gibson had deteriorated.

Which brings us to now, where, judging by the comments he made during his appearance on Comedy Central’s Stir Crazy with Josh Horowitz, Tyrese Gibson and Dwayne Johnson are back to being on good terms. That said, while Johnson has carved out a separate corner of the Fast & Furious franchise to operate in, Gibson isn’t interested in getting his own spinoff. He explained:

Although Tyrese Gibson debuted as Roman Pearce in 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious, it wasn’t until Fast Five where he became he became a mainstay of Dominic Toretto’s crew. This was the same movie that brought Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs into the fold, and when he initially was at odds with the team, he’s now become one of their key allies. However, because Johnson was busy shooting Hobbs & Shaw, he was unable to participate in the upcoming F9 (unless he shot some kind of secret cameo).

It was recently announced that the primary Fast & Furious film series has two more movies left in the tank rather than just one after F9. Because there’s also a Hobbs & Shaw sequel in the works, it’s unclear if Dwayne Johnson will be involved in either of these remaining movies as a main cast member, but it’s hard to imagine Luke Hobbs not jumping back into the main Fast & Furious fold in some way before things wrap up. As such, it’s likely there will come a time when Johnson and Tyrese Gibson reunite in a professional setting, and hopefully things will still be good between them.

F9 is slated to drop on May 28, 2021, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates. Learn what other movies are coming out next year with our 2021 release schedule.

It’s honestly hard to believe that it’s been nearly seven years since the death of Paul Walker. Many were taken aback when it was reported that the 40-year-old actor had died after sustaining injuries from a car accident. While the memory of his death still hurts to this day, many of his loved ones always take the time to honor him. And on what would have been his 47th birthday, his daughter, along with Vin Diesel and other Fast and Furious alums, paid tribute to him.

On Saturday, September 12, the 21-year-old Meadow Walker took to Instagram to mark her father’s birthday with a classic photo of the two of them together. She mentions that the image is what made her realize they were twins, and she referred to her dad as “the most beautiful soul.” You can check out the sentimental post down below:

Vin Diesel also posted a tribute of his own, which included a drawing of both himself and the late Walker and a brief but touching caption:

Another sweet message came from Tyrese Gibson, who shared a few photos of himself with Paul Walker and stated that the actor is missed every day:

These sentiments were shared by co-star Chris “Ludacris” Bridges who said that Walker is “always in our hearts”:

Jordana Brewster, Paul Walker’s on-screen love interest, shared a behind-the-scenes photo of the two on set and added a short and sweet caption:

It’s beautiful to see the sheer amount of love that Paul Walker’s daughter and his Fast and Furious family showed him on his birthday. Although it may still be hard for them to grapple with the fact that he’s no longer with us, it’s clear that they’ve chosen to relish their memories of him.

Over the years, the on-screen family dynamic that viewers see on the big screen spilled into the real world as well. Walker was close with a number of his castmates, particularly Vin Diesel and Tyrese Gibson. Diesel is actually Meadow Walker’s godfather, and she continues to spend time with Diesel and his family from time to time.

While the Fast and Furious franchise has pushed on in the wake of Walker’s death, the cast and crew have certainly kept him in mind while making the movies. Vin Diesel previously explained that Walker inspired his decision to cast John Cena in F9 and has also explained that reaching a tenth installment will fulfill a promise he made to the late actor. In addition, Paul Walker’s family has been supportive of their efforts honor him and his character, Brian O’Conner.

Paul Walker may no longer be around, but it can definitely be said that he will never be forgotten, thanks in part to his loved ones. His work will more than likely be remembered for years to come.

For years, the Fast & Furious franchise has kept its foot on the gas and become one of the most recognizable film series in the world. However, for the past several years, it’s been without one of its key stars – Paul Walker. The late actor’s untimely death in 2013 casted doubt on the future of movies, but the series has continued to churn out successful sequels. Some may still wonder how Walker’s family feels about Fast & Furious moving on from Walker and his character but, according to Tyrese Gibson, they’ve been more than supportive.

Tyrese Gibson says that Paul Walker’s family gave the cast and crew their blessing to continue the story and to do so for Walker’s sake:

Tyrese Gibson’s comments to Maxim should be encouraging for a number of fans to hear, and the Walker family’s feelings are understandable. Paul Walker was instrumental in building the Fast & Furious franchise into what it is today. In his loved one’s eyes, halting that would likely be a disservice to his memory.

The family also been instrumental in helping to keep Paul Walker’s character, Brian O’Connor alive on screen. For Furious 7 (Walker’s last film), his brothers, Caleb and Cody, served as stand-ins to help film the remainder of his scenes. The two have since offered to appear in another film should the need arise.

To say the Fast & Furious team was devastated by Paul Walker’s death would be an understatement. Having worked with him for so long, the cast had grown very close to him. This was especially true for Tyrese Gibson, who visited the site of Walker’s automobile accident shortly after his death. Today, Gibson still pays tribute to his late co-star on different occasions.

Franchise lead Vin Diesel is also sentimental when it comes to Paul Walker and preserving his memory. He and his producing team made it a priority to give Paul Walker and his character a worthy send-off in Furious 7. And for him continuing the franchise is his way of keeping a promise to Walker. Years ago, Diesel told his friend that he would aim for ten installments in the series before ending it, and Diesel is hoping to see that pact through.

It’s definitely still strange not seeing Paul Walker riding alongside his crew on the big screen, but we can take comfort knowing that his family and castmates are aiming to keep his memory alive. You can see what lies ahead for the Dominic Toretto and his team when F9 hits theaters on April 2, 2021.

Tyrese Gibson is no stranger to franchises, having appeared in a handful of Transformers movies and continuing to play Roman Pearce in the Fast & Furious world. However, now years after he campaigned to play Green Lantern, Gibson is finally stepping into the world of superhero movies. He was cast to play Simon Stroud in Sony’s Morbius, the second entry in the studio’s live-action Marvel universe populated with Spider-Man characters.

Like his comic book counterpart, Tyrese Gibson’s Simon Stroud is a government agent, only rather than working for the CIA, he’ll be hunting down Jared Leto’s Michael Morbius on behalf of the FBI. Here’s what Gibson recently had to say about what else we can expect from his character:

Well, well, it looks like Winter Soldier has some competition in the artificial appendage department. Per Tyrese Gibson’s comments to Maxim, Simon Stroud clearly is well-armed (pun fully intended), and if you’re chasing after a scientist who’s become a vampire, unconventional weaponry surely will come in hand (I’m sorry, I can’t help myself). We caught a glimpse of Simon and his weird-looking arm in the first Morbius trailer, but nothing was said about it at the time.

What exactly is this arm capable of? That’s hard to say since Simon Stroud in the Marvel Comics universe doesn’t sport a high-tech arm packed with weapons. So this is one aspect of Morbius that’s delving into uncharted territory; ideally whenever the next Morbius trailer comes out, there will be a snippet of Simon in action showing off at least one of the things his arm can do.

Michael Morbius’ origin story will unfold quite similarly to how it did in the comics, with the scientist suffering from a rare blood disease that he attempts to cure. Although he’s eventually successful, the downside is that he becomes afflicted with a form of vampirism that grants him special abilities, but an unquenchable thirst for blood and none of the weaknesses that traditional vampires have.

One can imagine that once Michael Morbius starts causing trouble in his vampiric form, that’s when Simon Stroud will start tracking him down, with his partner Alberto Rodriguez, played by Al Madrigal, by his side. Morbius’ cast also includes Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft, Michael’s fiancée, Matt Smith as Loxias Crown, Michael’s friend who suffers from the same blood disease; and Jared Harris as Michael’s yet-to-be-named mentor. Oh, and let’s not forget Michael Keaton, who many believe is reprising his Spider-Man: Homecoming role of Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. The Vulture, but that hasn’t been officially confirmed yet.

Morbius was expected to come out on July 31, but it’s since been pushed back to March 19, 2021. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates about the movie, and learn what else has been delayed recently with our detailed guide.

With the recent delay of F9’s original May release date to a safer April 2021 debut, a lot of people are probably bummed. However, there’s also a silver lining to this delay, and none other than Tyrese Gibson has discovered it. While we’ll have to wait a little longer for the ninth installment in the Fast Saga to be released into theaters, Gibson is happy about the bump, if only because it’ll keep the fans of the series safe.

Taking to his Instagram profile, Tyrese made the following post to pump up fans looking for some F9 hype:

Speaking on behalf of himself and the Fast Saga family, Tyrese Gibson mentioned that the new delay to 2021 was also a good thing because of the fact that it would push F9 into the time frame to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise’s start in 2001. So not only is there a safety angle, but there’s also the fact that by the time we all catch up with Dom and the rest of the family, we’ll be doing so on the cusp of a pretty big milestone.

Besides Vin Diesel himself, there’s no one better to be talking about the history of the Fast Saga than Gibson, as he’s been an active participant in the franchise since his debut in 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious, alongside the late Paul Walker. With an extensive history that only saw him sitting out The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift and Fast and Furious, he’s been through all of the major changes the franchise has undergone since the pivotal entry Fast Five.

There’s obviously still a little bit to be upset about, as F9 was not only on pace to become a bigger Fast Saga film since The Fate of The Furious, but the first trailer for the film broke online viewing records, hyping everyone up to a pretty large extent. Oh, and with the reveal that Han is still alive and driving for justice, the promotional machine was revved to a fever pitch.

Now, we’ll have to wait a little over a full year for F9 to bring the family of Fast fans and characters back to the multiplex, though it’s for the best reasons possible. Rather than risking everyone’s health and safety, a little extra time will allow fans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Fast and The Furious in style.

This also means, there’s plenty of time to watch the entire Fast Saga in the correct order as a refresher course for F9’s new April 2, 2021 release date.

It's been six years since Paul Walker died, and the Fast and Furious cast hasn't forgotten. In fact, it sounds like his spirit was felt very strongly during filming for Fast and Furious 9 and helped carry the cast through the 2020 movie. Not to be weird with a Star Wars analogy, but he's like their own Force Ghost. That's kinda cool, right?

Paul Walker died November 30, 2013 as a passenger in a car crash. He was filming Furious 7 as Brian O'Conner at the time, and his brothers helped finish his role as stand-ins.

Now the Fast and Furious cast is fresh off the franchise's longest shoot ever for Fast and Furious 9. Tyrese Gibson, who plays Roman Pearce in the Fast films, shared two posts on the anniversary of Paul Walker's death. In the first, he recalled how he got the horrible news about Walker's death. He later noted that the cast and crew thought about Walker every day when making Fast 9, and when days were tough, he was the one to pull them through:

What a beautiful sentiment. Tyrese later shared a video with Paul Walker talking about how he loves Tyrese like a brother, even though "he drives me fucking insane sometimes. We give each other a hard time, but there's always love between us."

Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto) and Paul Walker, aka Pablo, were like brothers on-screen and off when it comes to the Fast and Furious franchise. Diesel honored the 6th anniversary of Paul Walker's death with a sweet image and one simple word:

Paul Walker's daughter Meadow responded with hearts. Walker's brother Cody -- who was spotted with Vin Diesel on the Fast and Furious 9 set -- added "Always in our hearts. We miss you Pablo." Fast and Furious 9 star Nathalie Emmanuel (Ramsey) also added heart emojis.

Jordana Brewster still plays Mia Toretto, who has two kids with Paul Walker's Brian in the Fast and Furious movies. The Fast films didn't kill off Brian after Paul's death, and since Mia is back in a big way in Fast 9, fans are wondering if the film will find a way to show Brian again. As we wait to see if the rumors on that are true, Brewster shared her own remembrance of Paul Walker on November 30:

It's clear Paul Walker's spirit was very strong with the cast while they made Fast and Furious 9. But will the character of Brian return? We'll have to see how that works out when the movie opens on May 22, 2020. Here's everything we know so far about Fast and Furious 9. Keep up with everything heading to the big screen next year with our 2020 movie release date schedule.

After almost a decade of slick cars and family-driven storylines, the Fast & Furious franchise took a detour with an unlikely team-up movie: Hobbs & Shaw, starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. The summer action movie directed by Deadpool 2’s David Leitch was a fun experiment for Universal to take, but it seems to have led to a behind-the-scenes feud between Tyrese Gibson and The Rock.

And by behind-the-scenes, we mean a very public social media beef between the two actors who have not been shy about firing at one another. While it seemed their differences had been put aside after years of rumored back-and-forths, the opening weekend of Hobbs & Shaw reignited the flames. When the summer movie had the lowest opening weekend since Tokyo Drift, Tyrese Gibson and Dwayne Johnson went back to their old ways.

When Tyrese Gibson came on The Wendy Williams Show to promote his new film Black and Blue, he was asked about it. Here’s what he said:

And here you are, conveniently here on the internet! Now the actor/singer might have taken some time to clear up his comments or deny any feud between him and The Rock. However, his response indicates the internet is where he would like this discourse to stay and has nothing more to say to steer the conversation in another way.

Yikes! It sounds like he still thinks of The Rock in a negative light and deferred his comments to what he said because he still stands by it. Most recently, Tyrese Gibson screenshot the opening numbers of Hobbs & Shaw and commented that “Breaking up the family clearly doesn’t have the value that one would assume it does.” Although Hobbs & Shaw didn’t quite measure up to the core franchise’s numbers, it still has a spot in the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2019 with a $758 million global gross.

Dwayne Johnson subtly responded to his comments by saying “The best way to shut the mouth of a clown is to flex with success and a smile” on his Twitter to celebrate Hobbs & Shaw cracking No. 1 in its first weekend. Tyrese Gibson had previously been vocal about his disinterest in the spinoff, especially since it stalled the production of Fast & Furious 9.

Johnson and Statham are skipping out on Fast & Furious 9 since they just did the spinoff, and Tyrese will reprise his character, Roman Pearce. He recently wrapped filming the movie ahead of its May 2020 release, also starring Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, John Cena, Charlize Theron, Ludacris and, most recently announced, Cardi B.

Tyrese Gibson has had a busy year, filming Morbius with Jared Leto for Sony’s Spider-Verse, and his next film, Black & Blue with Naomie Harris, is hitting theaters this Friday, October 25.

When you think of actor Tyrese Gibson, it’s hard not to think of the two largest franchises credited to his career: Michael Bay’s Transformers movies, and, of course, the Fast and Furious series. It’s a fact that makes his casting as Mouse, the low-key and introspective character in director Deon Taylor’s Black and Blue all the more surprising, as Gibson trades in bombastic action and quips for a much more subdued experience.

The difference is on display so well in the film that during my conversation with Deon Taylor and Tyrese Gibson while I attended the Black and Blue press day for CinemaBlend, I had to ask why Gibson wanted to jump into the change of pace that Taylor offered him with this film.

The answer was not a simple soundbyte, as both parties had a complex answer to just how important this film was to them. But when it came to Gibson’s reasoning regarding why he wanted to make Black and Blue, it was because of the following lesson he feels the film has to impart to its audience:

Fear of the other is a subject that Black and Blue tackles with all of its humanity and narrative strength, as a good portion of the plot is centered around Naomie Harris’ Alicia West hiding out from the corrupt officers she’s avoiding. With evidence of their wrong doing captured on her bodycam, and both cop and criminal trying to recover it from her by any means necessary, she’ll have to rely on Milo “Mouse” Jackson, Tyrese’s character, who lives in a neighborhood known as Kingston Manor.

It’s an area of Black and Blue’s New Orleans that’s so neglected that unless a police officer is in trouble, law enforcement won’t respond to calls in that area. That particular plot detail not only hammers home why Deon Taylor’s film basically had to set its climactic action scenes in that location, but it also touches on Tyrese Gibson’s very sentiment.

As he rattled off the real life incidents that Black and Blue is inspired by, as well as some others that set the story into a more grounded context, Gibson began to get emotional in his response. It’s hard not to with these heavy themes and very real examples of such injustices in the mix, but if anything it reinforced just why Tyrese Gibson had to play Mouse.

Not only was the actor looking for a switch from roles like Roman Pearce, a part we’ll see Gibson reprise in the near future with Fast 9, but he was also ready to make a statement. And it was not only Deon Taylor’s conviction that won him over to playing the role of Mouse, but it was also Naomie Harris’ shared intent to get Black and Blue right that brought Tyrese into the mix.

While Tyrese Gibson approached Black and Blue with an attitude of doing a civic duty and enlightenment, that doesn’t write this film off as a mere “message movie.” The powerful statement in writer Peter A. Dowling’s script is potent, for sure; and it should have moviegoers thinking as they leave the theater. But that's only part of what's meant to bring eager fans into the theaters, as there's a good dose of action entertainment that's included in the overall package.

While Black and Blue is a film with a powerfully social message, it’s very much a film that operates as a claustrophobic action thriller. And to hear Tyrese speak towards that half of the equation, you can watch the video below from our recent conversation to find out:

Naomie Harris’ Alicia is put through the wringer throughout this film’s harrowing narrative, as we see her combat training from military service overseas come into play as she winds through Black and Blue’s tense day and a half in her life. Throughout it all, Mouse is her best hope of getting out alive, and he backs her call after his own run-in with officers who turn out to be in on the conspiracy visit the convenience store he works at.

In that scene, Tyrese Gibson’s character is frisked and questioned forcefully, before the cops realize he’s the person who made the call they’re responding to. That moment mirrors an earlier run in that Alicia has at the opening of the film, and it also plays to central point that Gibson feels is crucial to selling Black and Blue authentically:

As much as Mouse learns that he shouldn’t merely ignore a police officer asking for help, Black and Blue wants to encourage those who want the world to change to start making those corrections themselves. It’s very humbling to see someone like Tyrese really taking those lessons to heart, especially when such emotion is present as he tells his story.

It’s one thing when a film inspires an audience, but it’s a totally different level when one of the artists creating that film becomes inspired themselves. Tyrese Gibson was truly touched by the part he had to play in Black and Blue, and much like Naomie Harris’ attention to detail with her character, his conviction to help bring this call for peace and understanding to the big screen is part of what ultimately works best in this film.

Black and Blue is in theaters this weekend, ready to invite its potential audience to the table. You can see it in early showings starting tonight, with the full rollout starting tomorrow. Should you want to look at the other films being offered in theaters nationwide, head over to our 2019 release schedule for more details.

Tyrese Gibson is best known for his time on screen in big actions movies; mostly franchises like the Transformers films and much of the long-running Fast & Furious series. But, the actor has a new film, Black and Blue, starring Oscar nominee Naomie Harris (Moonlight), coming out next month that will show a different side of the performer that many of us haven't seen in theaters for a while. While Black and Blue is an action movie, the focus is on the characters who drive the story forward, more than how many things get blown up.

When the cast and director of Black and Blue sat down with CinemaBlend and other outlets during a break in filming, Gibson spoke about why he was ready to step away from the big budget action franchises again, and why Black and Blue was the perfect vehicle (no pun intended) for a change. And, it turns out that hearing from director Deon Taylor that Naomie Harris was attached to star helped Gibson make his decision.

Tyrese Gibson is certainly correct about Black and Blue being "dramatic, dark" and "uncomfortable." The movie focuses on Harris' rookie New Orleans cop, Alicia West, who's out on the job when she sees some of her fellow police offers murder a drug dealer. While she manages to get away from them after they try to kill her as well, they realize that not only did she see the entire incident, but everything was captured on her body cam. Obviously, they have no intention of letting Alicia, or that footage, see the light of day.

So, this group of crooked cops is after Alicia, but they also decide to tell every criminal in the city that she's the one who killed the dealer and have a kingpin (played by Luke Cage's Mike Colter) put a price on her head. While she's being pursued by dirty cops and all the enterprising criminals in New Orleans, she relies on her reluctant old friend Milo “Mouse” Jackson (Gibson) to help her evade capture so she can upload the body cam footage and expose the crime.

Black and Blue is a "run all night" kind of movie, so while there are certainly impressive stunts, fights and action sequences, as he said on set, the point of those scenes isn't having the biggest explosion or the most realistic CGI. Every moment is about exploring police corruption and the responsibility we all have to do the right thing, sometimes no matter the cost to ourselves. And, as Gibson was ready to have a role really make a statement again, knowing that someone of Naomie Harris' caliber involved sealed the deal for him when it came to this film.

Gibson has enjoyed a lot of success as a cast member of some of the biggest franchises of the 2000s, having joined the Fast and Furious crew with the 2003 movie 2 Fast 2 Furious. But, as we've heard from many actors before, when you become known for one type of role (or one role specifically), or a certain kind of movie, it can be very easy to get typecast and not receive the kinds of opportunities you'd like to break out and do something different so that you can continue to stretch your acting muscles.

While Tyrese Gibson made it known several years ago that he'd love to take on a popular superhero role for Warner Bros. should the opportunity arise, and he's also said to have a major part in Morbius, which will expand Sony's big screen Marvel universe, he was itching for something that would let him "peel back the layers." And, it looks like Black and Blue was just the kind of movie Gibson had been hoping for.

As you can likely tell, the story of Black and Blue is pretty deep, and while Gibson was looking for a film role where he wouldn't get lost in all the noise of busy action scenes so his talents would be appreciated, he also said that the way Black and Blue plays out as the story develops also attracted him:

There is certainly a part of me that's dying to know who Tyrese Gibson didn't want in Black and Blue, but since he can sometimes get into intense public conversations with actors that he is co-starring with, it's probably best that he kept mum on those details. Luckily, though, Black and Blue was able to maintain its Training Day level of grit, so that we can enjoy a more serious side of Gibson before much longer.

Black and Blue, which also stars Frank Grillo (The Purge: Election Year), Beau Knapp (Destroyer), Nafessa Williams (Black Lightning) and Reid Scott (Why Women Kill), is due in theaters October 25. For more on what you can see on the big screen in 2019, check out our new movie release guide.

You can always smell what The Rock is cooking because it smells like Fast and Furious trash talk. Dwayne Johnson just took another shot at the "loud clowns" and "candy asses" of our world while promoting more box office wins for the Fast spinoff Hobbs & Shaw.

At no point does he name Tyrese in his new post, but The Rock never adds names. Instead, his fans are now flooding Tyrese's comments to note that Hobbs & Shaw has made more than $700 million worldwide, so does Tyrese still have anything to say?

Yes, kids, it's back to school time and it's clear we're all still in fourth grade! It has been three years since The Rock launched this "candy asses" feud against his male Fast and Furious co-stars, but the latest updates are all about his Hobbs spinoff with Jason Statham's Shaw.

The Rock just shared a Deadline story about Hobbs & Shaw passing $700 million and -- as we already noted -- becoming the highest-grossing non-Disney/superhero movie of 2019 so far. (H&S also easily defeated one superhero in Shazam! Not that I'm taking shots at Shazam! It's just true.)

Dwayne Johnson is all over that stuff. He would be anyway as a producer, but now he's rubbing it in after Tyrese mocked Hobbs & Shaw's relatively low box office opening. The Rock celebrated H&S topping $700M by adding this Instagram caption to a screenshot of Deadline's story on the spinoff rocking records for the Fast and Furious franchise:

He added a clown emoji in place of the "e" in #nocandyasses to emphasize the clownery. That's in keeping with the last time he seemed to address Tyrese's Hobbs & Shaw box office shade (see below).

Hobbs & Shaw already had a Fast franchise best opening in South Korea and it's now the top Fast and Furious movie there. The Rock already bragged about Hobbs & Shaw topping an Avengers record by being the first movie this year to hold the #1 box office spot worldwide for four consecutive weeks.

Tyrese is now being mentioned all over both stars' comments; here are a couple of replies to The Rock's new post:

Meanwhile, Tyrese Gibson was just trying to figure out how to pronounce Edinburgh, Scotland in a new Instagram video he shared. But his comments are now filled with digs like this:

This "candy asses" feud has been going on since Dwayne Johnson called out the Fast 8 men toward the end of filming for what would be called The Fate of the Furious. The Rock's "candy asses" rant was said to mostly be about Vin Diesel, but there was also a separate beef between The Rock and Tyrese. Tyrese was upset that Fast and Furious 9 was delayed so that Johnson could get his own Hobbs spinoff. Here's what Tyrese wrote at the time:

Another Baywatch? Ouch. Fast-forward to Hobbs & Shaw's opening, and Tyrese seemed to delight in headlines about the spinoff having the lowest domestic opening since Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift in 2006.

Dwayne Johnson seemed to fire back at that shade as the Hobbs & Shaw box office kept steadily climbing, especially overseas:

And now Hobbs & Shaw is passing $700 million worldwide, with an overwhelming amount coming from the foreign box office.

Dwayne Johnson is not in Fast and Furious 9, which is now filming with Vin Diesel, Tyrese, and newcomers like John Cena. Jordana Brewster has also returned, and since Paul Walker's brother Cody was recently on set, that left some fans (like myself) wondering if we might be seeing the return of Brian in some fashion.

Hobbs & Shaw, technically called Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, is now in theaters but it will probably see its top non-Disney/Marvel movie status dethroned very soon. Fast and Furious 9 will eventually be called something else and it's currently scheduled to open in theaters May 22, 2020.

Between its swanky cars and high-flying tricks, the Fast & Furious franchise has always preached the importance of family. Yet, the big stars at the center of them are no stranger to engaging in public fueds with one another. Dwayne Johnson and Tyrese Gibson have a long history of being in an alleged beef with one another. However, it’s been primarily Tyrese targeting The Rock, who often keeps face in response.

Now check out Dwayne Johnson’s recent tweet about Hobbs & Shaw’s box office success:

The big actor starts off his status by thanking the fans for making the Fast & Furious spinoff the No. 1 movie for the second weekend in a row and racking up $333 million globally. Then out of left field, he says the best way to close the mouth of a clown is “to flex with success and a smile.” Ok, he used an emoji technically, but he’s clearly calling someone a clown!

Could that clown be Tyrese Gibson? His Fast & Furious co-star reignited the beef last week by poking fun at Hobbs & Shaw’s box office performance since it earned the lowest Fast & Furious box office opening since 2006’s Tokyo Drift. Gibson said this:

The Baby Boy actor has previously spoken out about taking issue with the franchise getting a spinoff, saying that Dwayne Johnson was making Fast & Furious all about himself. He was feeling good about his past remarks last week when he noticed the numbers for Hobbs & Shaw weren’t the impressive – for the franchise anyway.

Hobbs & Shaw has still topped the domestic box office for two weeks in a row, beating out tons of new releases and is already in the top 15 highest-grossing movies of 2019. It recieved middle-of-the-road reviews from critics, managing a 66% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and an 89% from audiences.

So Hobbs & Shaw isn’t a failure by any stretch of the imagination. Is it at the level of 2017’s Fate of the Furious, which made $1.236 billion worldwide after a $98 million opening weekend? No, but that doesn’t mean Tyrese Gibson has a right to boast about Hobbs & Shaw’s lack of value. It’s like if one of the Avengers spoke ill of one of the solo flicks not making as much as the massive team-up flicks.

Dwayne Johnson is fueling some of these old flames with his “clown” comments on Twitter. His main point seems to be to let the numbers speak for themselves, but he’s definitely throwing some shade out. Maybe it's time to sit back and watch their feud continue to unfold?

The Fast and Furious movies have been able to draw big box office numbers over the years thanks to the cool, over-the-top stunts, but also thanks to the draws of major talents from Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, to the likes of Jason Statham, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and many more. Of course, we know things are not always copacetic between all of these big names.

In fact, some alleged beef between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel has been well-documented, as have some issue Michelle Rodriguez has made note of in the past that very nearly led her to quit the franchise. When you’re working with “family,” things aren’t always super easy or simple.

We've gotten into the nitty gritty behind Tyrese Gibson's beef with The Rock before, and there's a lot of history that stands on the permanent record known as the internet. But now, with this big beef apparently squashed, it seems that this history has given us a chance to write an ending to this heated tale. Let’s take another, updated look at the history of the “feud” between Dwayne Johnson and his Fast series co-star, and how it apparently ended.

When Tyrese Gibson May Have Started To Have A Problem With Dwayne Johnson

If you asked people in the Fast franchise why they are not happy with The Rock, you might get an answer related to the Hobbs and Shaw spinoff. The cast of Fast and Furious 9 was not particularly happy when the franchise decided to spin off, but that may not be the real reason Tyrese Gibson comments about The Rock on social media.

You actually may not need to look further than this clip:

If you are a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise, you’ve seen this clip before. It’s from Fast & Furious 6 and it shows The Rock getting a quick zing in about Tyrese Gibson’s character (or really Tyrese, given he can’t change that forehead).

People related to the movies, including Ludacris, who spits out his drink during this unscripted take have all said this scene was improvised. He may be improvising too, but Tyrese Gibson really does look hurt in the filmed moment.

Was it simply good acting? Look, we don’t know what goes on during takes or in how many takes Tyrese Gibson may have gotten his own quick quip in with The Rock. We only know what we see onscreen here and what happened after.

What Happened With Fast And Furious And Hobbs And Shaw

Following the release of The Fate of the Furious, a bunch of bombshells dropped. First, The Fate of the Furious had a slightly lower global box office intake than the two movies that preceded it, Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7. Not a disaster by any means, but it was enough for Universal to press pause on the upcoming Fast and Furious 9 and make room to expand the universe with the high-octane Hobbs & Shaw spinoff.

What did this mean? It meant the cast was splitting off and it meant that people in Fast and Furious 9 would be without paychecks for a little longer. Why? Because the delay of the movie’s release date to 2020 also meant the film delayed production. There are a whole lot of moving parts that get shuffled when a tentpole movie’s release date changes.

It also meant Tyrese Gibson was open about it on social media.

What Happened With Tyrese Gibson’s Public Meltdown

After the announcement got made, Tyrese Gibson chose to make quite few pronouncements on social media. One that sort of gives you an idea about his feelings toward Dwayne Johnson for what he perceived to be turning his back on the Fast franchise looked like this:

As you can see, there are some shots at Dwayne Johnson in the post, as well as some reiterated feelings that Dwayne Johnson was making the franchise about Luke Hobbs. There’s also a mention of the release date change, which was a sticking point in other posts.

Next, Tyrese Gibson had a “heart-to-heart” with one of Dwayne Johnson’s “associates” and that seemed to be the end to the feud, as well as his threats that he might leave the Fast and Furious family. I say “seemed to be” because there is more to this story.

Ultimately, Tyrese Gibson finally made a point to apologize for his meltdowns on social media. He noted his “meds” were to blame for his outbursts and that people should consult with doctors while trying out new medications and should also “be present in the Lord.” Yet, this isn’t the end of the history in question.

How The Feud Got Reignited With Hobbs & Shaw's Release

Around the time that Hobbs & Shaw opened last summer, Tyrese Gibson took to social media to take a jab at the movie. While the Fast Saga spinoff had won its first weekend at the box office, it did not achieve the great heights some of the Fast franchise movies have. He later deleted the post, but it said:

It was clearly a jab at The Rock, which may or may not feel deserved, depending on your point of view. Although, it’s interesting to me that Jason Statham has seemingly managed to totally stay out of this story entirely, despite also being a Fast cast member who also left to do the Hobbs & Shaw spinoff. While the potential for entire spinoff universe, complete with new cast members, is not certain, a sequel is still a going concern.

This point is especially valid, with Dwayne Johnson talking up the in development follow-up to Hobbs & Shaw earlier this year. With Johnson discussing the possibilities for new “villains, anti-heroes, and villains” in this tangent universe, roughly around the same time that F9 saw its first theatrical delay, and his response to that previous jab being pretty pointed back in the day, there seemed to be two very different roads for the Fast series to diverge down.

How The Rock Responded

Like the beef between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson – which Dwayne Johnson has said stemmed from differences in “moviemaking” and “collaborating” --The Rock has come out to reveal his side about what happened with Tyrese Gibson and what is going on with Fast and Furious 9.

The Rock hasn’t taken shots at the other Fast actor himself, but he did reveal in an interview with Andy Cohen that the feud has been pretty “one-sided,” but that he’s disappointed with how everything played out, noting,

Ultimately, Hobbs & Shaw did take over that 2019 release date, with F9 being slotted into the initial May 22, 2020 date it was going to debut on. Life went on as intended, and Justin Lin’s return to the Fast Saga filmed and wrapped to make its release date. With that first trailer dropping at the end of January 2020, it looked like the engines were going to start again, feud or no feud. And then, the world changed.

The Fast Feud Between Tyrese Gibson And Dwayne Johnson Ends (?)

Maybe it’s the collective dumpster fire that is 2020, in particular the world wide COVID-19 pandemic that’s caused the world to take a long, hard look at where it’s been lately; but the feud between Tyrese Gibson and Dwayne Johnson looks to have come to an end. Recently, Gibson made this statement during an interview declaring that the big beef was indeed squashed:

That puts a potential timestamp of the Gibson/Johnson Peace Accords at roughly mid- November, just in time for everyone to celebrate Thanksgiving in harmony. What’s more, Tyrese Gibson’s remarks about not wanting his own Roman Pearce spin-off, and just what the Fast and Furious franchise means, seem to reflect a new inner calm in life. So while the Fast and Furious timeline might not make sense, this ending to the long standing feud kind of does.

Of course, as is with any good feud in history, there’s a chance conflict could come a knocking again in the future. But if you ask us, we’d like to think that in the name of franchise harmony, and personal balance, Dwayne Johnson and Tyrese Gibson have buried the hatchet. And for all we know, maybe Roman Pearce could find his way in the Hobbs & Shaw universe, lending a hand, and an olive branch, out of a speeding Lamborghini.

F9 races into theaters on May 28, 2021; and anything could happen between then and now. So should this peace be broken, or should it endure, on the road to F9, CinemaBlend will stay in the driver’s seat to deliver any breaking updates. Because we don’t have readers… we have family, and family sticks together.

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The Fast and Furious franchise is purportedly all about family, and if you know anything about families, you know that sometimes they fight. The Fast and Furious family is especially good at this both onscreen and off, and that has once again become evident with the recent release of the franchise’s first spinoff film Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Tyrese Gibson has reignited his Fast and Furious franchise feud with Dwayne Johnson by poking fun at Hobbs & Shaw’s box office, saying:

Oh boy, there is a lot to unpack here and I’m not just talking about Tyrese’s liberal use of ellipses. In the since deleted post on his Instagram (via The Shade Room), Tyrese included these sentiments alongside a screenshot of an article titled “Hobbs & Shaw Has Lowest Fast & Furious Box Office Opening Since Tokyo Drift.” So Tyrese was clearly poking fun at the box office for the spinoff film.

The actor seems to see the box office of performance of Hobbs & Shaw as validation of his previous issues with Dwayne Johnson and the spinoff film. In the past, Tyrese has expressed a belief that The Rock was making the Fast & Furious franchise all about him. To Tyrese, the opening box office of Hobbs & Shaw shows that as he says “breaking up the family” by doing the spinoff was not a recipe for wild success.

In Tyrese’s mind, the Fast & Furious franchise is more than the sum of its parts and it works best when the whole family is together and Hobbs & Shaw’s performance is testament to that. Tyrese goes on to say that the film’s $180 million worldwide opening is “NOT a win.” So he was poking fun at Dwayne Johnson and the film in a sort of ‘I told you so’ kind of way.

Now before we get into the substance of Tyrese’s argument, he later expresses a hope to reunite the whole Fast & Furious family, including The Rock, for the tenth film. Nevertheless, the talk of Dwayne Johnson trying his best and failing definitely seems like a way to reignite this one-sided feud.

As far as the box office is concerned, the article Tyrese cited is correct that Hobbs & Shaw had the lowest domestic opening since Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift in 2006. However, the $60 million opening was good enough for first place at the box office and was right in line with where tracking pegged the film, so it didn’t disappoint in that regard.

Moreover, the line about $180 million worldwide not being a win ignores the fact that Hobbs & Shaw did not open day and date all over the world and has yet to open in Italy, France, South Korea and most importantly, China. Maybe someone clued him in on this and that is why he deleted his Instagram post. Although I think it is fair to say that Hobbs & Shaw isn’t as successful or a guaranteed viable replacement for the main franchise, at least not yet.

Tyrese’s Roman Pearce will be in Fast & Furious 9 but I wouldn’t expect him to be reunited with Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs anytime soon. Hobbs & Shaw seemed to be setting up a new team with a diverging path for this franchise and given the reported issues between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, I wouldn’t expect any whole family reunions for this franchise’s 10th installment.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is now playing. Check out our premiere guide to see what else is headed to theaters this year and for the latest in the Fast & Furious family feud, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.